In Another Life
by IKnowHowTheSafetyWorks
Summary: Set pre-S1, Mrs. Andrea Blake bumps into Officer Grimes one night and things escalate from there. DISCLAIMER: I do not own TWD.
1. Chapter 1

**In Another Life**

**Okay, so I told myself I wasn't going to do multiple fics at one time because when I do that...I always lose interest in at least one of them. But I already have like 10 chapters of this written, and if I get a good response from this chapter, I'm going to post them over the next week or so. This idea has been bugging me for at least a week so...here goes.**

**Yes, I have changed a fair few things in this fic, but I hope you guys can get onboard with the changes and enjoy the fic. :) **

**Thanks! **

**S.**

* * *

Andrea woke once again to the sound of Penny crying in the other room. She sighed and rolled over, checking the clock. It flashed, illuminous green: _3.03am._ Groaning, she shoved back the quilt cover and got up, walking out of her bedroom into her daughters and lifting the crying baby out of her bed.

"Whats the matter, princess? Hmm? You okay?" She cooed, rocking the child to try and soothe her. She smoothed down the babys hair to find it wet with sweat. She pulled off the childs pyjama top, assuming she was too warm, and then pulled her into her arms once more, attempting to soothe her. Penny wasn't in the mood to cooperate, evidently, as no matter what Andrea did, she would not settle.

Andrea tried giving her milk, she wouldn't take it. She tried giving her water, Penny threw up. Andrea changed the baby and the sheets on her bed, Penny still cried. She sang, she bounced, she hummed, she cooed. Nothing.

"Penny," She said to her eleven month old baby, eventually, when her patience had run out, "There is _nothing _wrong with you! You're fine! Why are you doing this to me?"

Penny just continued to cry.

Eventully, when she looked at the clock and realized that it read _4.45am, _Andrea couldn't take it anymore. She put Penny back into her bed and left the room, closing the door behind her. All that did was make her feel guilty. She moved to sit on her bed, putting her head in her hands when she sat, cross-legged a top her quilt.

Philip would be home soon, she knew, and once he was, she wouldn't sleep anyway. He'd want to rant to her about how bad his meetings in Milan had gone and how everyone was beneath him, how they had no idea how brilliant he was, how it was no wonder he'd been promoted while the rest of them stayed beneath him. Meanwhile, she would sit there, silently, thinking about how she was so nervous about going back to work, for the first time since the baby was born and how she couldn't make her own baby stop crying and how she felt like an indaequate mother. But he'd never want to hear that, he wantedto believe she was the same happy go-lucky person she had been when they got married.

It was then that she heard his key turn in the lock and pasted a false smile on her face, walking to the top of the stairs. He opened the door and looked up at the stairs. When he spotted her, the ever-perfect wife, his face broke into a smile and she gave him a weary smile back, sighing. He frowned when he heard Penny crying.

"She's been going none-stop for almost two hours now." She told him, with a yawn and he nodded, frowning.

"I'll get her. Make me coffee?" He said, passing her on the stairs and kissing her forehead brusquely. She sighed, realizing how exhausted she was going to be for her first day of work tomorrow.

"Sure. Glad you're home." She sighed and he paused on the landing.

"Is that sarcasm?" He said, his voice turning cold. She turned to look at him.

"You have to ask?"

"What the hell is your problem?" He demanded and she scoffed.

"How about the fact that you've been off travelling for three weeks and all I get when you get home is a swift peck on the forehead and an order, hmm? Does that not warrant a little annoyance on my part?" She knew she was going to blow his lid, but she couldn't help it. Penny had been screaming for so long that she could feel her ears ringing and she was so tired, she thought she could cry. His face turned dark.

"You're out of line. I haven't been _t__ravelling,_ I've been working!" He insisted and she scoffed once more, aware deep inside that she was being slightly unreasonable.

"Sure. I'm sure you didn't enjoy _one second _of it!" She told him, storming past him into their bedroom.

"Just where do you think you're going!?" He asked her, when he walked into their bedroom to see her pulling on a pair of jeans under her 'I heart Paris' t-shirt. It was one he'd brought back from one of his many business trips for her.

."Out." She said, grabbing her keys from her dresser and then storming out of the house, slamming the door and leaving Philip standing in their bedroom, shocked.

* * *

"You're late, again." Lori's voice came from the darkness that enveloped their kitchen and Rick cursed under his breath.

"Jesus, Lori." He said, trying to catch his breath again, "You scared me."

She flicked on the light and he could see her sitting near the door which led to the lounge, legs and arms crossed, still in the clothes she'd been wearing that morning when she left for work. She looked pissed. He glanced at the table and saw an empty bottle of red wine. Great. She tended to get vocal about their issues when she'd had a drink. It might be healthy to talk about their issues, but whenever Rick brought it up when she was sober, she wasn't half as cooperative.

"Lori, I told you I was working a twelve-hour shift." He said, running a hand, tiredly, over his face.

"Been working a lot of those, lately, haven't you." She said, a spiteful tone to her voice as she knocked back the last of her wine from her glass. She stood up, walking over to put her glass into the sink and the wine bottle on the side.

"Do you want the extension on the house or not, Lori? Because no offence, but working receptionist at Carls school doesn't pay the bills, let alone pay for that." He told her, feeling his anger bubble over as she pushed all of his buttons. She knew exactly how his temper worked; they'd been together for fifteen years, it would be a pretty telling sign if she didn't.

"Sorry. I came right out of college and got pregnant with _your _kid. Didn't really get the chance to persue a career after that." She said, her tone nonchalant. He could sense the underlying tones of anger, however, and his rose even higher, as did his voice.

"_Our _kid, Lori. And watch what you're saying. You love that kid more than anything and you know it. Tell me you'd do it differently if you could, and then maybe I'll consider believing thats what you're angry about, but until then..." He couldn't find calm words to convey his meaning and she rounded on him.

"How would you know anything about him!? You're never even here to spend any time with him!" She accused, her eyes wide with anger.

"Because I'm out working!" He yelled back at her and she stormed past him, into the lounge, spitting her final words back at him.

"Go to hell, Rick."

He heard her storm off up the stairs and, too angry to follow her to bed and too riled to find sleep on their uncomfortable sofa, which he had become far too well acquainted with recently, he grabbed his eyes and slammed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**In Another Life  
****  
**Andrea sat in the car for a long time, stewing in her anger, debating over whether she wanted to go back into the house or not. A cigarette hung from her hand. She'd given up the habit while she'd been pregnant, but lately, with Penny being so fussy, she'd lapsed back into the habit and they seemed to be all she could indulge in that would calm her down enough to cope with her daughters incessant screams. She'd been stood beside the car for a while, earlier, and she could still hear Penny screaming until, eventually, she must have fallen asleep. She had no doubt, though, that by the next morning she'd be back to her screaming self, and she'd probably be up for seven.

She wasn't expected in for work until ten, and after tonight, she'd be exhausted but she knew there was no way she was going to sleep tonight, with nerves and anger chasing eachother around her stomach. She hadn't even met her client yet, but she'd looked him up and she'd gone over the evidence she'd been given a few times, in between settling Penny and trying to keep her house tidy, the way a good wife should, and from what she could see, he wasn't guilty. Sure, this Dixon guy had commited a fair few crimes, but most of them were minor offences; theft, carrying weapons on his person. Her guess was he was having the finger pointed at him because the people accusing him had sent his brother down the year before.

Merle Dixon was a well known criminal and he was inside for every offence you could think of. If any of the Dixons deserved to be inside, it was him. His brother, however, seemed tamer. She was certainly looking forward to meeting him tomorrow, however.

Knowing she wasn't going to calm down, and now even more awake after thinking about the case, Andrea took the last drag of her cigarette and put it out in the ashtray inside the car before rolling down the window and starting the engine.

* * *

Rick was no stranger to this bar. It was a 24-hour bar, situated not two blocks away from his house and it had come in quite handy whenever he and Lori had one of their famous spats, such as tonights little party. He sighed and knocked back the last of his pint, ordering another form the barman.

"You wanna watch what you're drinking, Rick," Tony, the barman, told him. "Sun'll be up soon."

"I'll take that under advisement." He told him, and Tony smirked back at him.

Rick heard the door swing open and thought nothing of it, his eyes on the floor. It was only when the scent of perfume wafted his way that he glanced up. She'd sat two stools down from him and once he spotted her, he didn't know if it was the drink or her sheer beauty, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. She ordered a vodka-lemonade and her eyes flickered in his direction for a milisecond, and he noticed that they were a beautiful, almost transparent, green colour.

Tony put the glass in front of her and she thanked him with a slight, almost nonexistant smile. Rick still didn't look away. Eventually, his staring seemed to annoy her and she couldn't keep her comments to herself anymore.

"Can I help you?" She asked him, rather forcefully, looking directly at him. From the corner of his eye, Rick saw Tony glance between them before laughing gruffly and wondering through into the back of the bar. It was then that Rick realized there was no one else in the bar.

"Sorry." He said, moving up a stool. She didn't look particularly pleased as he closed the distance between them slightly, but made no comment about it. "It's a bit late for you to be out alone."

Coming from anyone else, Andrea probably would have found that comment quite creepy, but regardless of the glass in front of him, he seemed to be rather sober and he was in a police uniform so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Tilting her glass in his direciton, she spoke.

"Rough day."

"I'd guessed." He replied and she raised her eyebrows, questioningly.

"Well...usually the only women in bars at this time are...well, prostitutes and clearly you're not-" She raised her eyebrows even further and his sentence trailed off quietly, turning into a slightly crooked smile. "I'm sorry," He said, laughing awkwardly and holding out his right hand, "Rick Grimes."

"Andrea Blake." She replied, taking the hand he offered her. "And no, I am not a prostitute. I'm a lawyer."

"Really?" He replied, "I'm a police officer."

She raised her glass in his direction. "To the law." She commented, sarcastically, and he joined her in the toast. They lapsed into a moment of silence and Rick found that, though they were complete strangers, it was hardly as awkward as silence with Lori was at the moment.

"So, I'm guessing I'm not the only one who had a rough day?" She said, placing her glass back down on the bar. Rick shook his head.

"You are not. Rough day. Rough life."

"Ha." She let out a burst of sarcastic laughter, "You think your life is rough. Try having a year-old baby who wont sleep."

"I went through that with my son," He said, "You should try singing."

She looked at him, blankly. "Gee, thanks. That did not once cross my mind." She told him, dryly.

He laughed and she rolled her eyes. Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "So, why did you go into Law?"

"I like control." She told him, looking at him. He found himself mesmerized by her eyes. It might be the drink, intoxicating him, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. She didn't seem to be able to pull her eyes away, either, because for a long moment, neither of them spoke and he found himself slowly leaning into her.

As soon as their lips met, something inside Ricks mind screamed at him. _Lori. _But this wasn't Lori. This was someone new. Someone exciting. Someone he didn't know, but wanted to know.

She felt guilt rise in her chest as Ricks lips caught her own, but she couldn't bring herself to push him away. Why should she? _Because you're married_, a voice in her head told her. That voice, however, was all too easy to ignore. She kissed him back, excited by the unfamiliarality and the sheer difference in the way he kissed. Philip rarely kissed her these days, and there was no passion there. This man, however, practically radiated passion.

Eventually, they broke apart and she found herself gasping for air. He was looking at her with eyes blue enough to drown in and she smiled, giggling nervously. He smiled back, crookedly. As her laughter faded, so did his smile and suddenly, her passion was replaced by a feeling of suffocating guilt.

"This was so wrong." She said, quietly. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, one hand over her lips as if to shield them from him. He looked at her in surprise and she glanced towards the bar, towards her drink. As she did, she spotted his hand, which rested next to his glass. There was a glint from the ring on his finger. A wedding ring. "_So_ wrong. I've gotta go." She said, before hurrying towards the door.

"Andrea-" He said, his voice ringing with shock, but she was gone before he could say more than her name.


	3. Chapter 3

**In Another Life  
**

Philip and Penny were both slumbering deeply when she got home, a fact she was more than grateful for. She didn't think she could face either of them after what she'd done. Guilt surged inside of her like a storm at sea, and she felt like a boat that had been cast adrift on the waves, thrashing from side to side, conflicted and pained. She stood at the door to her daughters room and looked at the little brown curls fanned out on the pillow to her marble cheeks, slightly flushed in sleep, to the lashes which cast mile-long shadows down her cheeks.

Exhaustion was settling in and so she climbed into bed, where Philip lay, snoring lightly. She turned away from her husband, scared that her guilt would be written on her face when he saw her the next morning.

Sure enough, the sun brought with it Pennys cries and Andrea groaned. Her eyes hurt, her head hurt and her ears hurt. Her mucsles groaned as she got to her feet, sleep-deprivation finally beginning to catch up to her, and she wondered into Pennys room to find her sitting up, little tears rolling down her face.

"Good morning, my little Penny." She said, swinging Penny up into her arms and kissing her forehead. Penny immediately wrapped her arms around her neck, clinging to her, and Andrea carried her down the stairs. Philip was sitting at their kitchen table and as Andrea fastened Penny into her chair, she huffed in exasperation.

"Couldn't have seen to your daughter, could you." She muttered, harshly.

"Didn't give me a chance, did you." He replied, his eyes on the sports section, a bowl of cereal in front of him, "Hadn't been crying ten minutes before you got her."

"Thats the difference between you and I, _darling._" She told him, putting together her daughters breakfast. "I can't leave her to cry."

"And you wonder why thats all that she does."

Andrea slammed the bowl down on the side and in a flash, Philip was behind her, his hands either side of her on the counter. He was pressed so close to her that she didn't even have the space to turn and push him away.

"I tell you, my girl," He growled down her ear, "I'd stop slamming around, if I were you, and think about who it is you're talking to when you're saying such things. Do you hear me?"

Slightly scared, she nodded slowly.

"I said _do you hear me."_ His voice came out more sharply, more of a demand, and forced a vocal response out of her.

"Y-yes." She said, her heart pounding in her chest. He didn't move for a moment, his breath hot on her skin, and then he was gone from the room. She couldn't bring herself to move, too shocked by his outburst. It was the first time he'd been like that since they'd been married and, if the rate of her heart was anything to go by, it had terrified her. The guilt from the night before dissipated slightly and then the fear doubled. Did he know? Had she been seen? No..it wasn't possible. Was it?

* * *

Rick woke on the sofa the next morning, from dreams of golden hair and green eyes, to the sound of his wife slamming around their kitchen. He groaned, the alcohol of the night before backfiring on him. Carl bounded down the stairs, fully dressed, and surveyed his father on the sofa for a moment.

"How come you slept there, dad?" He asked, confused, as Rick sat up. Carl plonked himself down beside his dad and Rick smiled at him slightly.

"Hey, bud. I got in late. Didn't want to disturb your mother."

"Carl, breakfast." Loris voice came from the kitchen. It was calm, but Rick knew there was a storm brewing inside his wife, worse than the one from the previous night, which he would have to deal with soon enough. He looked at the clock on the wall. 8am. Dammit. He had to be at some Law firm in two hours for a meeting between some stuck-up lawyer and a suspect in a recent crime commited. It was an armed robbery of a drugstore and Rick knew that the accused was innocent, but they hadn't been able to get the evidence from the security cameras back yet, so they were walking on a type write. Rick only hoped Dixon had got himself a good lawyer.

"You best go get that, buddy." Rick said, ruffling his sons hair, before pushing himself to his feet. "I'm going for a shower," He told no one in particular.

* * *

Andrea didn't speak to Philip for the rest of the morning. Instead, she readied her daughter and then phoned her babysitter.

"Hi, Jaqui. Are you still going to be able to have Penny for me today?" She asked, putting on the brightest voice she could muster.

_"Hey, Andrea."_ Jaqui's voice came from the other end of the phone, _"Sweetie, I'm so sorry but Jake has come down with something awful; I think it might be a stomach bug. I think it's best if you keep your little one away from here today. I really am sorry, babe. You know I'd never let you down if it wasn't a legit reason."_

"Shit." Andrea said, under her breath. She put her hand to her forehead and sighed. "Thats fine, Jaq. Give Jake a kiss for me and tell him I said get well soon, okay?"

_"You got it, sweetie." _Jaqui replied and Andrea bid her farewell and put down the phone.

"Now what am I supposed to do with you?" She asked Penny, who looked up at her from the floor, where she was playing with some colourful numbers. It never failed to amaze Andrea, the things that could occupy children. Penny was never occupied for very long, though. "Shall we see what daddy-"

"Daddy is going out." Philips voice came from near the doorway and Andrea spun around, hair splaying out around her as she did so, to see him stood in his long, black coat, keys in hand. "Can't you just call in sick?"

"On my first day back?" She said, indignantly, "You're kidding me, right?"

He shrugged, "Love you, baby." He directed at Penny, before giving her a blank look, raising an eyebrow and opening the door.

"Oh, hey." Andrea heard a familiar voice come from the doorway, "I was about to knock-"

"Amy!" She said, in disbelief, walking over to the door and seeing her little sister stood there, hand still raised as if she were going to knock.

"Hey," She said, rushing in and wrapping her surprised sister up in a tight hug. Andreas eyebrows shot up her forehead as she dis this. "I wanted to pop in."

"It's lovely to see you." Andrea said, as the door slammed. Amy jumped.

"Vocal, isn't he." She said, in mention to Philip. Andrea rolled her eyes, explaining about their argument. "Oh...have I turned up at a bad time?"

"Actually, your timing couldn't be better." She told her, as Amy passed her and went to pick up Penny, who waved her arms at her Aunt, excitedly. "I need you to play babysitter for the day." Amy smiled.

"My pleasure."

Ten minutes later, and Andrea was pulling up outside her work, questioning her decision to leave Penny with Amy. She'd never really seen her interact with babies; she was their youngest cousin and Penny was the first baby born into the family, that they were close too, since then. But then again, she supposed, how bad could it be? Amy wasn't _that _irresponsible. She hoped.

She was greeted by many as she walked into the building but, knowin she was late, she had no time to stop and chat and could only offer them a smile, wave or single syllable reply. She smoothed down her blazer and plumped up her curled hair as she stood outside the door to the confrence room, checking her red lipstick in her little palmsized mirror.

"Well...If it isn't Andrea Blake." A voice she recognized came from behind her.

Andrea froze.


	4. Chapter 4

**In Another Life**

**Just to clear up any confusion; in this fic, Penny is Andrea and Philips daughter :)**

* * *

Andrea cursed herself as her heart skipped a beat.

She spun on her patent leather heels, her skirt twirling about her legs, and gaped at him. Sure enough, there stood Rick Grimes, police officer.

"What-what," She was finding it difficult to put the sentence together and had to take in a few deep breaths before speaking, "What are you doing here? Are you following me, or something?"

"Don't flatter yourself, darling," He said, playfully, "I'm the police officer on this case. I take it you're Dixons lawyer?"

She flinched slightly at the use of the endearment. Well, it wasn't so much the endearment, more the fluttering it started in her stomach, which made her uncomfortable. She eyed him, trying to decide what to say next. His eyes were glued to hers, a smirk on those lips. She rememberd how they felt on her own and for a moment, her breath caught. He apparently caught this motion, because his eyes creased in a smile and she was about to speak when the door behind her opened.

"Mrs. Blake, I assume?" The man who opened the door asked and she nodded. "And Officer Grimes?"

"Yes, sir." Rick replied.

Andrea enterred the room, all too aware of Rick close behind her, and placed her briefcase down on the table. So aware of Ricks presence was she that, for a moment, she didn't even register the presence of the other man in the room. Her client. Dixon.

"Mr Dixon," She greeted him, approaching his chair, palm outstreatched. She expected him to stand in greeting but instead, he remained seated and took her hand nonchalantly, as if it bored him even being there, "I'm Mrs Blake, your attourney."

"I know. Hired you, didn't I." He stated, his redneck drawl coming through loud and clear. She inhaled deeply as she turned away, making sure her eyes didn't drift to Rick, and sat down at the table, ready to go through what she had on the case with him.

Ricks input throughout the session distracted her and so she tried to talk as quickly and as much as possible. She found his presence to be almost impossible to work through, the memory of their kiss fresh in her mind. She couldn't put it out of her head, try as she might, and found herself continually stumbling over her words or uttering things she knew she'd said already. She couldn't help it. He was so _damned _distracting!

Rick watched her as she spoke to Dixon. More specifically, he watched her lips. He rememberd how soft they were, how they'd moved against his own, and found himself transported back in time to the previous night. What if she hadn't pushed him away? He looked down at her hand, while she spoke, and noticed the ring. It was obvious that she'd noticed his and Rick thought that was why she'd stopped, she'd felt guilty for his wife, felt like the scarlet woman. Now, he realized, she was feeling bad because she, too, was married. If last night was anything to go by, however, it was obvious that her marriage was about as happy as his was. What happy wife went to a bar at 4am?

Still, whatever had been bothering her the night before, she clearly dealt with it pretty well. There were no bags under her eyes, as he would have expected. She was even more beautiful this morning. Her hair was more golden, her eyes brighter. The sun that streamed through the window illuminated the different shades of gold in her hair and, as he thought this, Rick realised he'd never had these kinds of thoughts about Lori. Even when they were first dating, he'd never stopped to admire the way the sun shone on her hair, or the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about something she was passionate about, or the way she used gesture to illustrate her point, as Andrea did. Her hands told the same story as her voice, acting as emphasis on her point and Rick found his eyes drawn, once more, to the circlet of posession around her finger.

She wasn't his. Could never be his.

_You don't even know the woman, for gods sake. _A voice in his head said.

_You have Lori! _Another voice told him.

_And Carl. _Said a third, snapping him back to the present.

"And so, unless you've any questions, or Officer Girmes does," She said his name with a slightly different tone to the way she said the rest of the sentence and Rick found that the affect he had on her seemed to give him some kind of pleasure, "Then I think that will be all for today."  
"I'm good, lady." Dixon siad, and Rick watched Andreas eyebrows rise at the name, "Miss Blake." He corrected himself.

"Mrs Blake." Andrea corrected him, once more, and Rick thought he saw her eyes flicker towards him for a fraction of a second. It was like a dagger to the heart and he cursed himself. How could she be affecting him so? It had been one kiss. They'd spoken for less than an hour and suddenly...suddenly what?

"Very well, Mr Dixon." She said, "We'll be seeing you again this time next week to prepare for the court case and if you've any problems between now and then, feel free to e-mail me."

"I aint got a computer." He said, and she gaped at him for a second.

"Thats alright. You can phone me." She pulled a card out of her briefcase and handed it to him. He took it and slid it into his pocket as he stood up. This time, it was Dixon who offered his hand to Andrea and she took it, smirking slightly at the change in his attitude. When he exited the room, neither of them moved for a moment.

"Andrea-"

"Officer Grimes, I'd appreciate it if we could keep it professional." She hissed at him, feeling very awkward there, alone, with him.

"I just wanted to apologise for last night," He told her. "But I won't agree with you."

Her head snapped around and she frowned at him. "What?"

"I won't agree that it was wrong." He crossed the distance between them quickly and she couldn't bring herself to back away as his eyes captured her own, once again mesmerizing her, "Because it doesn't feel wrong to me."

His last statement came out in a voice so soft and so low that she very nearly gave into him right there and then. She put a hadn on his chest and felt his heartbeat against his palm. In the second before their lips touched, the sun glinted off her ring, into her eyes and she turned away, putting her hands over her face.

"You can't just _do_ that, Rick!" She said, "I don't know you and you don't know me! And we're both married," She held up her hand, with her wedding ring sitting on her finger, as evidence. She wasn't sure which one of them she was trying to convince, however.

"Happily married, right?" He said, as though he didn't believe it. Andreas mind flashed back to that morning, to the way Philip had scared her, but she told herself it didn't matter.

"That is beside the point. We both said vows to other people. I don't know about you, but that means something to me. I'm not some...some _skank _who goes around cheating on her husband, do you hear me?" She said, voice shaking, "And we both have _children_, Rick! I can't do that to my daughter. Can you do it to your son?"

Rick looked at her, at the way her eyes flashed, her anger and confusion evident in those eyes, and realized she was right. But it didn't make this any easier. Ever since last night, she'd entranced him. He felt like he was under a spell, like he had no control over his decisions, because once more he closed the distance between them and, when she opened her mouth to protest, grabbed her face with both hands and puled her into a kiss. She didn't struggle, as he expected, meerly gave a sound of protest before she gave up all resistance and her protest became a sigh of pleasure. She backed up, pulling him with her, and her legs hit the table. Her arms wound around his neck and his moved from her face to her back, feeling the way the silk of her blouse slid over her skin.


	5. Chapter 5

**In Another Life**

Andreas senses seemed to snap back into place once more, her clouded brain clearing as she opened her eyes and became all to aware of Ricks hands on her back, pulling her blouse from where it tucked into her skirt, running his hands up her back. She shoved him back once more, hard enough that his back hit the wall.

"_No,_ Rick! Goddamn it, what is it with you men? No means _no! _It does _not _mean you can just kiss me and make me all...all..."

He was trying to slow his breathing, but she could see how her lack of words amused him by the way hislips quirked up at one end. She found it difficult not to return his crooked smile,, but forced herself not too. She wiped a hand across her lips and realised how smudged her lipstick must be. Pilling out her mirror, she wiped it off as best as she could before transferring her gaze to Rick, whos back was still pressed against the wall. She could have handed him the mirror, let him so it himself, but she didn't.

She walked over to him, slowly, ending up close enough to feel his bodyheat and put her thumb to his lips, wiping away the lipstick which acted as evidence of their little tryst. He looked at her with smouldering eyes, eyes half closed, and she found it incresilgly difficult to put distance between them. Her lips twitched into a smile and she pressed a kiss to his cheek, knowing she couldn't carry on with this case while he was the officer here. Dixons case wasn't _too _difficult; any lawyer could fight for him just as well as she could, and they wouldn't be distracted constantly by the memory of how Ricks lips felt and how his hands slid, tenderly, over her skin.

"Goodbye, Officer Grimes," She told him, finally stepping back, missing his warmth, and turning her back on him to pick up her briefcase. She felt his hand slide around her waist and her breath caught in her throat, but all he did was slide a small piece of paper onto the table in front of he. Glancing down, she saw his number written on it. She turned around, one eyebrow raised qustioningly and found a smirk once more on his lips.

"See you around," He corrected her, tilting his hat in her direction as he put it on his head, and then leaving the room. Andrea actually laughed aloud to herself amazed at how brazen he was and knowing that there was no way she could go through the rest of her life without ever seeing him again, at least once.

The rest of her day passed after a million glances at the clock, even more at her watch, and even more at the tiny slip of paper that sat on top of the paper work on his desk. He'd put his name down as _Officer Grimes,_ she didn't know if it was a joke or if he wanted to be discreet.

_Discreet about what? _A voice in her mind asked, _You're not having an affair. You're not going to have an affair either. You barely know the man. You and Philip are going to be just fine, you're just going through a rough patch and as for Penny, she's just doing what all babies do. She's probably having a hard time teething right now, or something. It doesn't mean you can throw yourself into the arms of the first handsome police officer who winks at you and makes your heart flutter in that way that it hasn't since the early stages of your relationship with Philip, no matter how good a kisser he is.  
_  
"Jesus." She cursed under her breath. Her internal debate had turned into a list of reasons why Rick is amazing. _Officer Grimes, _she corrected herself. It was detrimental to her holding her ground, staying away from him, that she set professional boundaries.

* * *

Rick couldn't get her off his mind.

He could still smell her perfume as he sat in his car, waiting for a call. He could still feel the silken fabric of her blouse underneith his fingers and he could still feel the way she had wiped her own lipstick from his lips. The prospect of _her _was too seductive for it to be healthy, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Man, you've been out of it since you got into this car," His friend and partner, Shane, said from beside him.

"Hmm? Have I?" Rick asked, knowing it as true.

"I'd say so. Something on your mind?"

Rick looked at Shane in disbelief. He wasn't usually the talking type, especially not about the touchy-feely stuff. "I'm fine, Shane. But I think there's something wrong with you. Since when do you wanna talk about something that isn't _the blonde I picked up the other night._"

Blonde...once more, he wasn't in the car anymore. He was in that office, replaying those few moments of bliss with her. Only, in his mind, she didn't stop him.

"Yeah, Nancy." He said, a smirk on his face. "Man, she really was something. She's got a great kid, too."

"Kid?" Rick asked, glancing at his friend, "You actually took the time to notice?"

"Hey, this isn't just some fling, Rick," Shane defended, "I really like this girl. She's...special."

Rick glanced back out to the front of the road, his eyebrows raised. He didn't notice the glance his friend sent his way. Shane ran a hand over his face, guilt threatening to catch up to him. It was pointless, he knew, because no amount of guilt would make him give up what he had found with Ricks wife. He and Lori hadn't planned it, it had just happened one night when Rick was working overtime and Shane had popped in to make sure Lori and his godson were OK. It had been a spur of the moment thing...a mistake to begin with. The second time, and every time since, it had been planned. They both fell from their high pretty quickly afterwards, when guilt threatened to overtake them both, but neither could bring themselves to end it. That was probably the worst part of it all.

* * *

**Hope you guys still like this!**

**R&R?**

_S. X_


	6. Chapter 6

**In Another Life**

Andrea enterred the house to find Amy sitting in the lounge, Penny nowhere in sight, with another person. She was a girl about Amy's age with short, brown hair and she turned around when Andrea spoke.

"Hey, Amy. Where is my daughter?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Chill, sis," Amy told her, standing up to hug her sister in greeting, "She's napping upstairs. She's been good all day."

Andrea groaned internally. If the baby was asleep at this time, that meant another sleepless night for her. She shouldn't be surprised, she supposed, after the night before, she couldn't have expected anything else. She realised that Amy was introducing her to her friend and she pulled herself back to reality.

"This is Maggie Greene," She said, "She's my friend from University. She's crashing with me at mum and dads."

"Nice to meet you." Maggie said, with a smile in Andreas direction, "Hope I'm not intruding. I just didn'g feel like going back to hillbilly city, just yet." She laughed and Andrea smiled back, hearing the southern drawl when Maggie spoke.

At that moment, Pennys started whining over the monitor. Amy leapt up but Andrea held out her hand, putting down her briefcase and taking off her jacket. She'd already discarded her shoes by the door; after walking around in boots and converse for the past few months, her heels had crippled her. "I've got her," She insisted, walking over to the stairs, "You put the kettle on."

She enterred Pennys bedroom to find her, as usual, sitting on her bed screaming. Andrea walked over and scooped the baby up into her arms, sitting down on the bed with Penny clinging to her. For once, she seemed to be soothed and her crying stopped almost instantly. Andrea couldn't help but smile to herself.

"Did you miss me as much as I missed you, my angel?" She asked, brushing the babys hair back out of her eyes. Penny looked up at her with big eyes, still brimming with tears, and Andrea leaned her head down to kiss Pennys forehead. Pennys lips curled behind her dummy into a smile and Andrea grinned back at her. "I can't believe I have to leave you again tomorrow. How will either of us cope?"

The door opened downstairs and Philips voice boomed through the house.

"Afternoon, all," He almost yelled and, to Andreas surprise, he seemed to be in rather good spirits. She stood up, Penny still in her arms, and walked onto the landing. Philip was on his way up the stairs and smiled when he saw them. Andreas stomach backflipped, remembering what she and Rick had been doing several hours earlier, doubting very much that Philip would look like that if he knew. "There they are. My beautiful girls, lights in my life."

"You seem very...chipper." She commented, as he kissed her cheek and then took Penny from her. Immediately, Andrea arms were empty. Regardless of how little they saw eachother, Andrea doubted there was anything as strong as Philips love for his daughter. She knew he was a good father, when he was around, it was when he wasn't that it frustrated her; he was missing so much.

"I am," He told her, leaning once more to kiss her. This time, his lips caught hers and she couldn't help but compare how different his kisses were to Ricks. The movement, the urgency, it was so different, almost alien. And the taste...She pulled away.

"You've been drinking," She told him, looking at him, confused.

"Only one or two, darlin'. I went to Miltons for the day and Karen offered me a beer with lunch,"

"So you had ten?" She said, incredulously, reaching to take Penny. She took her daughter down the stairs, handing her to Amy, who took her with a cofused look on her face. Andrea shook her head slightly, looking past Amy to Maggie, "Would you excuse me for a few moments? I really do apologise for this."

"No apologies necessary," Maggie smiled, genuinely and Andrea felt herself warming to her little sisters friend. Then she wondered back up the stairs, feeling a confrontation was on the horizon. Philip was lying on their bed, one arm over his face, the other at his side. He seemed to be on his way to dreamland so she cleared her thorat.

"It's almost dinner time," She told him, "You can't go to sleep."

"Aw, Andrea, back off," He told her, rolling away from her, "I just wanna sleep this off for an hour."

"You'll wake up with a headache and then you'll complain and yell and then you'll just go back to sleep," She walked over to their curtains, which he had drawn closed, and threw them open. In an instant, he was on his feet and in her face, yelling.

"I said, I want to sleep!" He told her, grabbing her arm and throwing her out of his way as he reached up to drag the curtains closed. She anticipated the impact and threw her arms out to cushion her fall, hitting the floor with a bang she knew would make Amy and Maggie suspicious. The noise reverberated through the house and she heard Penny start to cry.

She looked up at Philip, wide-eyed, in disbelief. He'd never been violent towards her before. She knew it was probably the drink, but she couldn't see any redemption or regret his eyes as he saw her on the floor, looking up at him with fear. His anger wasn't dissipating and she was finding it difficult to catch her breath.

"Philip-" She finally managed to gaps, "You need to calm down."

She pushed herself slowly to her feet, watching him carefully for signs of another outburst. His anger was still there, she could see. He'd ripped the curtains with the violence with which he'd tried to close them and she felt her arm pulsing from where he'd pulled away. There would be a bruise there tomorrow, she knew.

"L-lie down, if you need to," She told him, backing away towards the door. He watched her as she left and she closed the door behind her and pressed her back against it, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle the sound of the sobs that escaped her throat.


	7. Chapter 7

**In Another Life**

The rest of that week passed in a blur.

When Andrea awoke on Saturday morning, part of her was hoping that it had just been a bad dream but as soon as she sat up and caught sight of herself in the mirror, the deep purple bruise obvious against her pale skin, she wanted to break down crying again. Putting her head in her hands, she realised slowly that Philip wasn't laying beside her.

Downstairs, she could have been walking into the perfect romantic scene. The sun shone through the kitchen windows, her breakfast was on the table and Philip was making coffee. He put a cup across the table from him as she enterred, tying the rope of her dressing gown around her waist. She glanced from the cup to him; he seemed to be finding it difficult to look at her; they'd not spoken since he'd hurt her on Monday. Amy and Maggie must have found it pretty unusual, but they'd left the day before, going back to Amy's flat after spending a few days with them and Amy had asked could she babysit Penny for a week. Andrea had happily obliged. Part of her felt like she was pawning her baby off on someone else, but the rest of her knew she needed a break and she also knew that Philip wasn't the best person for Penny to be around at that particular time.

Wordlessly, she sat down and picked up her cup of coffee. For a few minutes, the only sound was that of silence.

Finally, Philip walked around the table and took the seat next to her. It took everything in Andrea not to lean away from him and put more distance between them. It shocked her when he straightened up and pressed a kiss to her temple. She tensed slightly but he didn't seem to notice.

"Good morning, darling" He greeted, "I have some news for you."

She couldn't bring herself to vocalise a response so she simply raised her eyebrows.

"We're having Milton and Karen over for dinner tonight," He said, a smile on his face.

She glanced up at him, disbelief in her eyes. "You're kidding?"

"Why would I be kidding?" He asked, perplexed, "We've not seen them properly since before I went away on business and I thought it would be nice for you to socialise with people for a change, you've been very...internal lately." She almost scoffed in disbelief at this last statement, but held it in, knowing it would turn out worse for her in the end.

"Philip, you can't expect me to summon up dinner without so much as a days warning," She told him, "I'm not wonderwoman."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," He said it with a smile on his face, but something in the way he said it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. He was dangerous lately, she could see it in his eyes. Then he blinked, and it was gone, as if it had never existed.

"Dinner, tonight, for four people." He told her, as he left the room.

* * *

She managed it, somehow, as he had known she would. She spent the day running around like a madwoman but, far from not wanting to let Philip down, she was looking forward to seeing Milton and Karen. They were close to those two; they were Pennys godparents. They had been Philips friends before they were Andreas, however. Milton and Philip had known eachother since they were children and were like brothers. They were good people and Andrea enjoyed their company.

And at the end of the day, anything was better than being alone with Philip lately.

It was nice to have an excuse to dress up, even if they were just having a small dinner. She didn't have a new dress but she had nice clothes that she'd not worn since Penny was born and as she slid into a black cocktail dress, she smiled into the mirror, feeling more like her old self than she had in a long time. Lately, all she felt like was Andrea-Philips-wife, or Andrea-Pennys-mother. She didn't even feel like Andrea-the-lawyer anymore and she was never simply Andrea-the-human-being, she had so many attatchments that she sometimes felt like she was losing herself.

"You look beautiful," Philip said, from their bedroom doorway. She turned and gave him a tight smile, "But you can't wear it."

He was right, she realised, looking back into the mirror. The dress was strapless and her bruise stood out painfully. She sighed, running her hand over it and he walked over, putting his hand over hers and looking into the mirror. His eyes caught hers and she couldn't help but sigh and lean back into him. The familiarity and normalcy of the motion felt good for just a moment. Then she remembed how many mistakes had been made in the last week, on both sides, and she had to drop her eyes.

"Find something else." He told her, as the doorbell rang, "I'll get it."

* * *

She didn't change into a different dress, she just slipped on a cardigan, one with long sleeves, and they sat down to a pleasant dinner. The conversation was as light as it was false and Andrea felt as if she were decieving Milton and Karen in some way; they had no idea what kind of situation they had walked into, what kind of secrets Philip and Andrea were both hiding from them. Andrea felt like she was hiding something from them all as her thoughts transferred back to _Officer Grimes. _

The number, though she had told herself she would throw it away, was in her briefcase in the lounge. Just in case, she told herself. In case of what, though, she wasn't sure.

"That was lovely, Andrea." Karen smiled at her, across the table, pulling her back out of her thoughts.

"I'm glad you liked it," She replied, standing up and starting to gather the plates.

"Let me help!" Milton insisted, and he picked up his own and Karens plates.

"Bring some wine back through, with you." Philip demanded, lifting his beer to his lips. Andrea raised an eyebrow but made no comment as she and Milton walked into the kitchen. It was like an furnace from her having had the oven on all day and she pulled off her cardigan without thinking, kneeling down to get the glasses.


	8. Chapter 8

**In Another Life**

"He did that to you?" Milton asked, pausing in the act of putting the plates down on the side. He stared at her arm, the angry purple bruise like a slap to his own face, in disbelief.

"What?" She asked, pointlessly trying to hide up the mark while balancing the wine glasses she'd just pulled out of the cupboard. "Of course not-"

"Dammit, Andrea," He spat, angrily, "I knew he had a temper but I had no idea-"

"Milton, drop it." She told him, sharply, "I mean it."

"But-"

There was an earth shatteringly loud clatter and smash as the glasses in Andreas arms tumbled to the floor, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. Andrea cursed and dropped to her knees, attempting to gather the scattered pieces into one manageable pile.

"Andrea, you'll cut yourself. Here." He said, softly, grabbing the dust pan and brush from their utilities cupboard. She glanced up at him, gratefully, and set about clearing the mess.

"Whats all the rukus?" Philip asked, announcing his presence as he enterred the room, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"N-nothing, darling." Andrea told him, with a quick, nervous glance at Milton. He was looking at Philip, his childhood friend, as if he'd never seen him before and Andreas heart pounded in her chest, scampering with fear of what Milton was going to say.

"I was just a cluts." He said, finally, "Dropped the glasses and your lovely wife won't let me help clean the mess up."

Her heart slowed slightly when he not only held his tongue, but also took the blame for the mess upon himself. Her heart warmed when she realized he was trying to protect her and she smiled slightly, at the floor, feeling both pathetic and protected.

"Oh, well, no harm done." Philip smiled and Andrea felt indignation rise inside of her; he'd be a hell of a lot angrier if he knew she'd been the one dropping the glasses. "Leave Andrea to clear up the glasses, you come and enjoy the rest of the party."

He exited the room and Milton turned back to look at Andrea. She could see the anger in his eyes, mixed with sympathy as he looked down at her. He shook his head before starting towards the door. In a moment of sheer panic, Andrea lunged forward, one hand grabbing his wrist, the other slapping down, hard, on the floor.

"Milt-shit!" She cursed as pain shot through her palm. She lifted her hand to see that she had left a pool of blood on the floor, that a shard of glass buried itself three inches deep into her hand.

"Dammit, Andrea!" Milton said, grabbing the kitchen roll from the side and pulling her to her feet with her good hand, menouvering her around the glass. He motioned for her to take a seat at the table and she did so, allowing him to look at her hand. "Good job I'm first aid-trained."

He applied gentle pressure to the slight indent in her wrist and slowly pulled the piece of glass from her hand, glancing occasionally at her face, which was creased with pain. She tensed up, hissing out a curse, and tears pooled in her eyes. She was quick to swipe them away and a trail of mascara followed her fingers. Milton set about gently wiping the blood away from her wound and them moved to their first-aid cupboard, pulling out a home-bandage. As he wrapped her hand, Andrea studied his face, which was creased with worry.

"How long?" He asked, his voice quiet. She sighed, before deciding that it was perhaps time she told someone.

"Not long. He's stressed with work and I-"

"Don't try and make excuses for this," He told her, sharply. "You can't defend him, Andrea. The lawyer in you shouldn't be trying too."

"Milton, he's not a client, he's my husband." She hissed, drawing her wrapped hand away.

"And that gives him the right to hurt you?"

"Whats going on here?" Philip asked, walking back into the kitchen. Andrea stood up and turned her back on him, not wanting him to see the evidence on tears on her face.

There was a heartbeat of silence and Andrea didn't dare breathe, scared of what Milton may say.

"Nothing, Philip." He said, finally, and she let out a breath of release. Closing her eyes, she sent a prayer heavenward.

She heard Milton shuffle out of the room and then there was quiet. Anyone else would have thought they were alone, but Andrea knew what Philips silence meant, and it was never good. Hurriedly, she turned and tried to move past him, mumbling about getting back to their guests. He caught her arm, his fingers digging into where he'd already bruised her.

"I've told you, darling, keep your mouth shut."

"Philip," She said, her teeth clenched from the pain, "You're hurting me!"

He looked at her, dark eyes burning into her clear blue ones, and slowly his hand released her. His lips curled into a dangerous smile.

"Wipe your face before you come out. We have guests." And then he was gone and Andreas heart was pounding once more, terrified for later that night, when they were alone, when she would pay for her actions.


	9. Chapter 9

**In Another Life**

The rest of the night didn't pass quite as harmoniously as the first half had. Andrea couldn't seem to slow her racing heart and she kept seeing Miltons eyes flicker, angrily, in Philips direction. Philip was seething beneath the surface, she could tell. The emotion at the forefront of her mind, however, was guilt at how the tension in the air was making Karen feel. Clearly the woman was far from comfortable as she kept glancing around the table, confused and at a loss for words. She never once asked what was wrong, however, and Andrea was grateful for that. She wasn't sure how any of them would have replied if she had.

Eventually, the time came when Karen and Milton had to go home. Milton seemed to want to linger around but Karen insisted. Andrea stepped up to hug her friend, once Karen released her from their hug, and Milton wrapped his arms around her. She knew he found it hard to let go.

"Honey, it's OK." She whispered into his ear, "It's gonna be fine."

He gave her a meaningful look when she pulled away and she smiled at him, reassuringly, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

Andrea could see the tension in Philips shoulders when she passed him to bid her friends farewell. She lingered on their porch, waving to them as they drove away. Once they were out of sight, she stood on the porch for as long as she could get away with before she walked back into the house and slowly closed the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. She turned and made directly for the stairs.

"Andrea."

Philips voice came from the kitchen and, wary, she decended the two steps she'd been able to make it up. She walked into the kitchen with her arms pulled tightly around herself, wrapping her cardigan like a safety blanket around her body.

"Philip?" She said, her voice questioning. He was leaning against the worktop, beer in hand, staring at the floor. Andrea very much doubted that she'd be able to rest her own head until Philip had said his piece and she doubted his actions would stop at words. The bruise in her arm gave a nasty twinge and she bit her lip, scared of what was to come, unwilling to show that on her face.

"What did you tell Milton?" His voice came out low. He didn't look up as he addressed her.

"What? Nothing," She insisted, immediately, but he closed his eyes and put his forefinger and thumb to the bridge of his nose and, wary, she closed her mouth.

Andrea had never been the kind of person who didn't stand up for herself. She was a lawyer; she liked being able to use her words to fight for people, liked being intelligent enough to do so and, to be honest, it came in handy outside of work too. Whenever they argued, they were always on pretty level footing since both of their jobs required oratory skills so usually it just ended up as a witty repartee of smart remarks and quick comebacks. When it came to physically fighting, though, Andrea wasn't the most experienced or the most capable. Especially against a man built like Philip.

So, although it felt like she was backing down and submitting when her words trailed off, she convinced herself that keeping quiet while she could sense a storm brewing was the smartest thing for her to do.

"Why are you bothering to lie, Andrea?" He asked, finally looking at her. His eyes looked tired, as oppose to angry, but still she kept her distance.

"Philip, do we really have to do this now? You've had a lot to drink and it's really late-"

"Dammit, woman, we do things on my watch." He said, slowly walking towards her, his voice deep, "Not yours."

Andrea, hearing the niggling voice inside her tell her that at any moment, whatever was keeping him sane could snap, began to take very small steps backwards, away from him.

"Philip, I'm tired-"

Instantly, he was gripping her arms, spittle hitting her face as he screamed.

"I don't give a damn if you're tired! You're my _fucking_ wife and you'll do what I say, when I say it, _do you hear me_?"

"Philip," She pleaded, tears springing to her eyes, "You're hurting me."

She felt de ja-vu over take her from earlier that night, when she'd told him the same thing, but this time he didn't let go of both arms. He released her right arm and she immediately felt a sharp stinging sensation as the back of his hand sent her head flying to the side and, regardless of the hand he held her with, the force sent her flying sideways, into the front door. Her head smacked the wood of the door and stars appeared in front of her eyes as she tried to focus on him, to see what his next move would be. Angry tears were falling rapidly down her cheeks, mascara following with them, leaving dirty trails down her face, one cheek burning red, the other as unblemished as marble.

Something dripped into her eye and, reaching up, she touched her hand to the place on her head where she'd hit the doorframe. It was wet. Bringing her hand down to in front of her eyes, she confirmed her suspicious. Blood. She looked up at Philip once more, eyes wide with disbelief.

His own eyes widened as he looked down at her, as if he'd suddenly come to his senses, and he reached out a hand towards her.

"Andrea," He said, his voice soft, as his hand touched her arm gently, but she flinched away.

"Don't you _dare _touch me!" She spat at him, shrinking as far away from him as possible. Her own voice made her head pound as a headache began to spread from her open wound. She angrily reached up and wiped at the blood that dripped from her forehead into her eye, no doubt smearing it over her face. "You touch me once more and I swear to god..."

She let the sentence hang open in the air as she pushed herself to her feet, a little scared of how she might end the sentence, as angry as she was at the time. She was seeing red and had to force herself not to look at him, for fear of what she might do. She stepped past him, walking into the living room and opened her briefcase, grabbing the piece of paper from the front of it and her phone.

"This is getting to be a habit, Andrea, you sneaking off in the middle of the night." He told her. There was no remorse in his voice, as there had been a few minutes before and she ignored him and he spoke as she reached for the handle.

"You walk through that door, Andrea, don't bother coming back."

She looked at him, squarely, as she pulled the doorhandle down and slipped out of it, leaving it open behind her. She felt his eyes on her back as she walked down the street, fighting back tears. She wouldn't cry in his sight. She _wouldn't. _

She didn't get into the car; she didn't want to drive it, doubting very much that she'd be able to drive safely with her headache. Out of sight of the house, she sat in a bus shelter, glancing at the clock on her phone for a second. _11:30._

Was it too late? She sighed, looking at the tiny slip of paper, wishing she had the courage to dial as tears fell from her face, making the ink on the page run and, mind made up, she punched the numbers into her phone.

* * *

**I've decided to give you another chapter tonight, because I'm feeling generous ;)**

**OJ, it's because all of your reviews are making me very happy! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it, hope you continue to do so!**

**S x**


	10. Chapter 10

**I've written up to chapter 13 at this point and I'm really impatient for you guys to read it so...here's chapter 10 :P Hope you enjoy.  
**

**S x**

* * *

**In Another Life**

Rick had once again been bahished to the comfortability of the couch. They'd not exchanged two words, but Rick had ascended the stairs to bed and, as his foot his the landing, he saw the bedroom door shut, signalling that he wasn't welcome in their marital bed.

Truthfully, that suited him just fine. If he wasn't sleeping beside his wife, he didn't have to feel as guilty when thoughts of Andrea interrupted his every waking and sleeping moment. He had yet to figure out what was wrong with him. Every waking moment was spent thinking of her, of the sarcastic smile, the only one he'd seen on her lips, of the eyes that studied him so critically and of her hair. Precious, golden silk between his fingers while their lips were locked and he held her flush against him.

It probably had something to do with the fact that Lori hadn't let him touch her in the past few months. Everytime he reached towards her, she'd shrink away form him as if his touch repulsed her. At first, he'd been saddened by this because he'd still loved her as much as the day he married her, those months ago. How things changed. Now they looked at eachother as strangers. He was basically just waiting for the divorce papers.

Then again, he thought, he could hire Andrea as lawyer and have her draw up his divorce papers.

The thought made him both laugh and burn with guilt in the same second.

Sighing, he reajusted the sofa cushion he'd positioned behind his head and kicked off the blanket he'd pulled over himself. Closing his eyes, he gave himself over to what he knew would be dreams of angels. Golden haired, green eyes angels.

_Ring ring, ring ring._

Groaning at the interruption of what he knew would be some of the best dreams of his life, he sat up and grabbed his phone from the table, not bothering to check the caller I.D.

"Yeah?" He said, putting it to his ear. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Rick?"

The sound of the tremble in her voice had him immediately alert and anxious.

"Andrea?" He asked, an urgency to his voice, "Andrea, are you alright?"

"Rick, I know it's late but I didn't know who else to call...I don't have the car and I just...I don't know what to do." On the other side of the phone, he could hear her practically break into sobs and was on his feet, pulling on his boots, without even rationally thinking about it.

"Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

* * *

Ten minutes later, in his police car, Rick was pulling up at the bus stop she had described. He'd driven as fast as he could, with the siren on, because it was so late and anything could happen to a women out, alone, at this time of night. Anything. He'd seen it all first hand and the last thing he ever wanted was for her to have to be the victim in his next case. So he drove like a maniac.

Her head was down as she climbed into the car and he noted how she was dressed. She was wearing a short dress which showed off her slender legs magnificently and on her feet were a pair of heels so high that the thought of being made to walk in them terrified Rick. Her hair was curled but slightly out of place, as if she'd been through a slight ordeal which had left her a little flustered. She was pulling a cardigan around her form, tightly, but still she was shivvering.

Rick reached into the back of the car and pulled a blanket from the backseat, handing it to her with a slight smile. She didn't look at him, but took it wordlessly. She sniffed quietly, as if she was ashamed of crying in front of him.

Not wanting to push it or upset her more, Rick didn't speak. The silence between them dragged out and Rick simply drove. He had no idea where they were going. He highly doubted that she'd want to go home and there was no way he could take her back to his house so instead, he just drove around and around a few blocks for a while.

After about twenty minutes of this, driving and sniffing, she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," She said, her voice muffled by the blanket she had pulled around herself, "For calling you, I mean. I know I had no right but I didn't know who else to call."

"Don't you dare apologise," He told her, pulling the car over and pulling her to him in a hug, as she started to cry once more. "Don't you dare. I'm glad you called me."

"I don't have anyone else, Rick," She sobbed against him, "And I didn't know what to do, I was so angry and so...so..."

She dissolved into sobs and for a while, he simply held her, rocking her back and forth and making soothing noises, as he would have to an upset child. But she wasn't a child and eventually, she pushed him gently away and sat up, wiping under her eyes. She looked at him and gave him a watery smile which quickly faded at his expression.

"What?" She asked, as his eyes widened and his fists clenched. "Crap." She said, obviously realising, and she brought up a hand to touch her cheek, then realised that probably wasn't the extent of the problem. Pulling down the mirror, she looked at herself in shock.

Her entire cheek was still burning a bright red colour from how hard Philip had hit her and, on top of that, the other side of her face had dried blood tracks coming out of her blonde hair, which was slightly matted with the dried blood.

"Yeah...we got into a bit of a fight." She mumbled and Rick, trying to control his anger, started the car again. He didn't speak to her as he drove, this time with a destination in mind.


	11. Chapter 11

**In Another Life**

They pulled into the carpark of a hotel and Rick climbed out of the car, grabbing something from the back as he went. The gentleman inside of him took over as he walked around to her side to open the door for her, before she could even put her hand on the handle. She smiled up at him, gratefully, and his eyes were once again drawn to the bloody mess that was her forehead. Anger threatened to break his boundaries once more, but he forced it down, putting it to the back of his mind as they walked into the reception of the hotel. It was late and the woman behind the counter looked like she'd rather be anywhere else.

"Hi," Rick said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket, "I'd like a double bed room, please."  
The woman looked past him, at Andrea and, turning around, Rick could see that she had her head down, trying to hide the mess that was her face. They must look quite a pair, he mused, him in his police gear, she dressed to the nines. She wasn't doing a very good job, however, of hiding her injuries; it looked as if she'd dyed just the roots of her hair red, because the blood had turned her whiteblonde hair into a deep shade of crimson. Still, the receptionist made no comment but went back to the computer, typing in a few numbers.

"Just for the one night?" She asked, chewing gum flying around her mouth as she did so. Rick nodded and she told him the price. He handed over the money, despite Andreas slight protest behind him, and the woman handed him the key. "Have a nice stay." She said, though Rick didn't think she sounded very sincere about it.

Andrea silently followed Rick into the lift and the silence continued until they stood outside their room. Rick put the key into the door and opened it and they both stepped inside, pausing as Andrea flicked the lights on.

"Didn't you ask for a double bed room?" She said, confused.

"I thought I did..I did, didn't I?" Rick replied, walking over to sit on the large bed that took up most of the room, and picking up the phone as he did so. Andrea made her way to the other side of the bed, kicking off her heels and throwing the cardigan and blanket onto the chair.

"Oh, I brought you something to sleep in, by the way," He said, passing her the shirt he'd brought from the car, "It's been worn, but only for a few hours. I took it to Shanes when Lori kicked me out one night."

Andrea didn't ask who Shane was, and she guessed Lori was his wife. While he spoke on the phone and his back was too her, she slid out of her dress, pulling the shirt over her shoulders and doing up the buttons. She brought the collar to her nose, inhaling deeply and recognizing the smell. It was _his _smell and it comforted her more than she would have believed. She lay down on the bed, her back to Rick, her nose still buried in his shirt, breathing in the scent of him as tears threatened once more. She was probably in shock, she knew, but she refused to be a victim of her own emotions; she was a grown woman and a damn strong one at that, she wasn't some simpering teenager who needed someone to dry her tears constantly.

"Dammit," Rick said, placing the phone down. He turned around and, for a moment, he was speechless. Andrea was laying on the bed, looking up at him and, though her face was still bloody and her cheek still burning red, he didn't think he'd ever seen a more beautiful sight than her in his shirt.

"Rick?" She asked, looking slightly paranoid.

"Sorry," He cleared his throat, "Half-brain receptionist. I said double bed room and she heard, double-bed room!"

"So, what are they going to do about it?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Nohting they can do. She says they're all booked up."

Andrea sighed and they both lapsed into silence, staring in opposite directions, each painfully aware of the others presence but unable to do anything about the desire which was paramount in each of them because of moral obligation and a moral sense of decency._ Decency?_ Andrea scoffed, internally. She owed nothing to Philip now, not after what he'd done. The thought sent a particularly nasty twinge to her head and she gasped, putting a hand to the wound and closing her eyes, tightly.

Rick looked at her, sympathetically, before standing up and motioning for her to follow him. He led her into the spacious bathroom, which was almost the same size as the bedroom, and told her to sit down on the bath. She obliged and watched as he filled the sink with warm water and then picked up a towel from the radiator. He dipped the towel into the water and then came to stand before her.

She wasn't sure if he noticed, but she certainly did, when he stepped closer and his thighs pushed apart her legs. Her breath hitched slightly, but he made no indication that he had noticed. Putting a gentle hand to her chin, he tilted her head back and pushed her hair off her face, slowly, gently wiping the blood from her forehead.

He made slow work of it, obviously wanting to clean the wound and not hurt her at the same time, but she still gasped every now and then as the pain from the contact grew. Her hand reached out to find something to hold and she found the arm which was holding her head backwards. He moved his hand from her chin to hold hers and she squeezed everytime the pain came back.

Finally, the pain began to receed and she opened her eyes, finding Rick staring down at her face. Something in his expression, the way his eyes held hers, captivating her, the way his eyebrows were furrowed with concern, made her heartbeat falter slightly and she willingly tilted her head back as his lips came down to meet hers.

Her hand moved from his, traveling up and into his hair as she arched her back, desperate to close the distance between their two bodies. He stepped backwards, pulling her with him, pulling her to her feet, never taking his lips from hers and turned them around, pressing her back against the wall. She bit down on his lip and he growled out a moan which sent her heart racing once more, his hand reaching down to hitch her leg around his waist.

He lifted her off the floor and Andrea wrapped her other leg around him, head leaning backwards as his lips traveled from hers to her neck.

For a second, rationality took hold of her.

"Rick," She managed to gasp, "Should we-"

"Andrea," He growled back, "Don't finish that sentence."

That was all the encouragement she needed as he carried her out of the bathroom, towards the large and inviting bed.


	12. Chapter 12

**In Another Life****  
**Rick thought it was a dream. A beautiful, vivid, sexy dream. But a dream nonetheless.

When he came to his senses, slipping completely out of unconsciousness, his senses told him it was far from a dream. He could feel her warm body in his arm, smell the scent of her shampoo and last nights perfume, hear her slow breathing which told him she was still slumbering, he could still taste her on his lips.

The sun burnt his eyes when he opened them and he realised they'd not closed the curtains. It seemed such a trivial thing to think about, he reasoned, when an angel was sleeping beside him.

Even in sleep, she was perfection. Her hair was a halo of ringlets around her head, her skin like marble, lashes sending shadows down her cheeks. She was facing away from him and he knew that when she turned her head, he'd be able to see her husbands handywork. The thought made his blood boil once more and he began to think of all the sadistic things he could do to him, if he weren't a cop.

She stirred beside him and he looked down at her as her eyes opened, blinking in the harsh light of the morning sun. She looked at him for a moment, before a frown appeared on her face.

In an instant, she was out of bed and across the room, pulling the blanket aroung her naked body. He sat up, startled by her apparent confusion. She was looking at him, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. He didn't speak and she groaned, sitting down on the chair and putting her head in her hands.

"Andrea?" He asked, concerned, trying not to focus on the image of her bruise which was burned into his mind, "Andrea, whats wrong?"

"This, Rick," She said, softly, "This is _so _wrong."

"It didn't feel very wrong last night-" He joked and she looked up at him, her eyes telling not to make a joke out of it.

"This is so not funny. It's the opposite of funny! My marriage might be over, but as far as I know, yours is not. Don't you see, Rick?" She said, looking at him, imploringly, "I'm _the other woman!"__  
_Rick stared at her for a moment, his expression blank and she looked back at him, eyebrows raised, hands held out in front of her, emphatically. He had to look down at the floor when a smirk crossed his face, a laugh barking its way out of his mouth.

"You're laughing." She said, flatly. "You've turned me into the scarlet woman and you're laughing. Great, just great."

He stood up, the quilt wrapped around his waist, and walked over to her. He stood in front of her and she looked up at him, pusing her hair out of her eyes.

"Last night was..." He searched for words, unable to find many that adequately described what their night together meant to him.

"I know," She agreed, softly, closing her eyes for a moment as if she was reliving it. A slight blush appeared in her cheeks and he smirked once more, knowing which parts she was thinking about. "Oh, but that doesn't mean it was any less wrong!" She stated, standing up.

He put a gentle hand to her cheek and she leaned her face into the palm of his hand, eyes closing once more. Smiling, he lowered his lips to the exposed skin of her neck, leaving a trail of gentle kisses as he worked his way up to her lips.

"You don't play fair, Officer Grimes," She told him, in between kisses, as he unwrapped the blanket she'd pulled around her body.

"I never claimed too," He replied, as her own fingers worked at the quilt wrapped around his waist

."You realise I have to be in court for eleven?"

Throwing a glance at the clock over his shoulder, Rick judged the time.

"Plenty of time," He told her, "It's only eight o'clock."

"I need to get dressed, do my make-up, have a shower..." She trailed off, a smile curling on her lips at the last remark, arms wrapping around his neck. He looked down at her as she bit her lip and wondered, not for the first time, how he had managed to live all of these years without her in his life.

"That," He stated, knocking her legs from beneath her, "Is not a problem."

She laughed, gleefully, as he carried her into the bathroom.

* * *

His eyes hurt as he watched her dress. He knew she was right; they both had obligations today. She had to be in court and he was on the 11-7 shift for the day. That, however, didn't lessen his desire to keep her there forever.

"You're going back there." He said, his expression unreadable.

"I have to." She justified, not looking at him, as she stepped into her shoes. "Want me to go to court looking like this?"

He smiled slightly. "Might help you win the case. The judge is a guy, right?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure she's a lesbian."

"Even better."

The banter, they both knew, was a cover up for what they were both feeling. She didn't want to leave anymore than he wanted her too. The question now, however, was where did they go next?

"Andrea-" He started and she straightened up, staring straight ahead, a little scared of what he may say next. "I don't want...I mean, this is..."

"I know," She said, softly, walking over to him and sitting on the edge of the bed where he lay. "Me too. I don't want this to end. But you're married and I...I couldn't do that to someone else. This was bad enough, Rick." She tried to reason, but he could tell she was having trouble convincing herself, let alone him.

"This wasn't just sex, Andrea, you know that as well as I do."

"That doesn't matter-"

"How can that not matter?" He demanded and she sighed, putting her head in her hands.

"Is this really how you want to end this?"

He lapsed into silence, knowing she was right, wishing she wasn't, and listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing. She finally looked up at him again and there were tears pooling in her eyes.

"I've got work," She said, "I've gotta go."

She leaned in to kiss him and, knowing it very well might be the last time he did so, he made sure the kiss lasted as long as possible. When she finally broke away from him, she leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes.

"Goodbye, Officer Grimes," She said, pressing one more kiss to his lips before she was gone.

* * *

**Oh, come on, it's TWD, did you expect it to be _happy_?**

** *feels***

**But no, this is not the end. I don't even think this is the middle...**

**This might end up being one of those 60 chapter fics, guys, just warning you. If you're in this for the long haul with me, I love you to pieces. If you're not, but you left me a review, I love you to pieces, too. If you didn't leave me a review...what the hell are you doing? O.o **

**Haha, jokes. But seriously...review? Pls? O.O**

**Thanks guys, I love you all!**

**S x**


	13. Chapter 13

**In Another Life**

Rick spent the rest of that day brooding about Andrea wishing that, instead of being in the car with Shane, he was in bed with her. He ought to feel guilty, he knew, but somehow he couldn't bring himself too.

He hadn't confronted Lori yet, hadn't even told Andrea, but he'd been getting dressed for work a few days ago and he'd found a mans watch that he knew wsan't his. It wasn't conclusive evidence of her having an affair, he knew, but it was enough to make him suspicious. Part of him thought he'd recognized the item, but he couldn't place it so he put that idea out of his head. He didn't think he could stand the idea of her having an affair with one of his friends, or someone he knew. He couldn't exactly call her out for having one now, but with someone he was close too..the thought just might drive him insane.

Rick wasn't one to be so possessive, especially when he knew he had no right to be, but the thought of someone he knew touching his wife, the woman he'd once thought he could never stop loving, still made his blood burn slightly.

"Dude, what is with you?" Shane asked, from the passenger seat.

"What?" He said, not really listening.

"The radio, Rick. We've got a shoot out going on, gotta get there." He said, and Rick snapped himself back to reality, putting the car into drive.

* * *

Andreas day differed from Ricks in that she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by thoughts of what happened between them. When she arrived back at the house, she was overjoyed to find that Philip wasn't there. She hurried her way through a shower (hers and Ricks from earlier didn't really count) and then dressed in a suit, fixing her make-up so that the slight bruise on her cheek wouldn't show and adjusting her hair so that the wound on her head wasn't visible.

By the time she was done, she was more than presentable and, as she looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile. Of course, her marriage was breaking down due to her husbands sudden violent outbursts towards her, but...well, she had Rick.

_Dammit, Andrea, _A voice in her head scolded, _He's not yours to have. He's Lori's.__  
_She sighed, adjusting her jacket, making eyecontact with her reflection.

"Didn't act that way last night." She told herself, smirking slightly at the memory. She blinked it away, grabbing her purse and keys from the dressing table and then grabbing the bag she'd made up earlier; she had no intention of bringing herself or Penny back to this house and would find a hotel she could stay in before she could find them a more permanent residence. If Philip wanted to file for custody, she invited him too. She knew all the best lawyers, after all.

She made her way to the courthouse, where she greeted Dixon and made sure he knew exactly what to say on the stand.

* * *

Rick and Shane drove up to the highway, where the shootout was taking place. It was pretty empty for this time of day, which seemed strange, but Rick didn't have very much time to give it that much thought. He climbed out of the car, Shane doing the same on the other side.

"Whats going on?" He asked one of the other officers there, running up to the car behind which they were hiding.

"They committed armed robbery and when we chased them down, they stopped the car and started shooting at us," He told them.

Rick glanced over the hood of the car, then back at Shane, who shook his head.

"Don't even think about it, man." He said, but Rick shrugged slightly before standing up, holding his hands over his head.

"Listen, fellas," He called across to the men doing the shooting, "We don't want any trou-"

Pain shot through his chest as he felt the bullet penetrate his skin. He should have listened to Shane. The other police officers raced to his side and the shooters, sensing an opportunity, climbed back into their car and shot off in the other direction.

"Someone...get them-" He gasped out, his breaths shallow and painful. The pain was overwhelming and, as Shane elevated his head, he could see blood pouring from his chest. He was close to passing out, but just before he did, he managed to utter one name.

"Andrea..."

* * *

"We won!" Andrea celebrated, as she and Daryl walked out of the courtroom. She felt eleated, happy and Daryl looked at her grateful.

"Ah, listen, miss-"

"Andrea, please," She corrected.

"Andrea." Daryl said, as if testing her name, "I appreciate it." He nodded to show his gratitude and she smiled, taking the hand he held out to her.

"I'm glad I could help you." She said, "But I'm still a little confused about why Officer Grimes wasn't here...He said he was going to pop in and see how it all went."

"I'm sorry, Officer Grimes?" One of the police guards from the door stepped forwards, "Officer Grimes was admitted to hospital about an hour ago, Miss," He told her, "He was shot."

And just like that, Andreas world collapsed.

* * *

**A shorter, but slightly faster paced chapter this time. :)**

**S x**


	14. Chapter 14

**In Another Life**

He looked so pale.

That was all she could think as she looked down at Ricks unconscious form on the bed._ It was to be expected,_ the logical part of her brain told her, repeatng what the nurse had said about an hour ago.

* * *

_"He's lost quite a bit of blood, and the bullet pierced his lung." The nurse told him ,"He's not woken up since we had him in, yet."_

_Andreas eyes filled as she looked down at him and the nurse beside her gave her a sympathetic look, but a curious one, nonetheless._

_"You're not his wife?" She asked and Andrea shook her head._

_"N-no..." She said, reaching up to wipe the tears from beneath her eyes. "I'm...I'm no one. Just a friend."_

_The nurse, a woman of about fifty with short, whiteblonde hair, gave her a knowing smile and took her hand, patting it lightly. "He'll be back to you soon, love, I'm certain." She told her and then left, leaving Andrea with the unconscious Rick Grimes._

* * *

It was nighttime and Andrea strolled around his bed to pull closed his curtains. It wouldn't bother him now, she was well aware, but she just wanted something to do. Visiting hours had been over a while ago, but Andrea had known that his wife and son would be with him, so she'd left it until the evening to come and see him.

"I'm sorry it's so late, Rick," She told him, sitting on the chair beside his bed and holding his hand, pressing her lips to his knuckles, "But I had to come and see you. I couldn't not after..." Tears halted her speech and she paused for a long time, knowing there were things she should have said to him when she had the chance. "I never told you, Rick. So many things. It seems strange because...because we've known eachother for such a short time yet I feel you know me better than anyone in this world."

There was no response from him; she didn't expect one, but she couldn't seem to stop talking.

"This isn't fair. How can I have found you, just to lose you now? You're the most amazing man I've ever met and...and I know we've only know eachother for a week, but..oh, I sound like a lovestruck teenager."

"Who are you?" A voice came from behind her and, quickly wiping her eyes, she turned to see a tall, dark haired man in the doorway, holding a styrofoam cup of something hot.

"I'm Andrea, just a friend." She told him, turning back to Rick.

"Shane." He said, walking around the bed and taking the seat opposite her.

Andrea glanced up at him, remembering what Rick had said. _"I took it to Shanes when Lori kicked me out one night."_ So this was the friend to whom he ran when things with his wife were rough. Shane looked at the cup in his hand, then at her and, seemingly thinking she needed it more than he did, he held it out to her. She glanced up at him, about to speak, when he interrupted her.

"I insist. No offence, but you look like hell." He told her and, smiling slightly, she took the cup. The poignant smell of coffee hit her nose and she was even more grateful.

"Thanks." She said, giving him a slight smile. He nodded back, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, and looking at his friend with a pained expression. Andrea regarded him over the rim of the cup as she sipped, noticing the weary look in his eyes.

"I could have stopped it." He said, more to himsef than to her. She was still looking at him as he put his head down, his hands raking back his hair in apparent distress. "I could have stopped it, dammit."

Andrea didn't know if he wanted, or was expecting him to respond, but she didn't feel like she could let the comment go unnoticed so she cleared her throat softly and spoke. "I'm sure you tried. From what Ricks said about you," Which wasn't much, truthfully. "You guys are pretty close."

She didn't have to worry about being wrong in that aspect; no one but a best friend would stay at a persons hospital bedside this late. Shane, however, scoffed and put his hands over his mouth and nose, shaking his head.

"What?" She asked, curious about what had him so distressed. He looked at her for a minute, his eyes wide and honest, then he shook his head.

"I just haven't been the best friend to him, lately." He told her, "Done some things I 'ain't all that proud of."

Andrea nodded, understanding what he meant. Even if the night she and Rick had shared was one of the best of her life, that didn't mean she was proud of it. She wouldn't change it for the world, but she wasn't particularly pleased with either of them for allowing it to happen. Ricks poor wife, who had been at his bedside all day, was completely oblivious to the infidelity of her husband. The thought made Andreas cheeks burn. _Scarlet woman_.

"So," Shane said, trying to hide his suspicious tone, "How do you know Rick?"

"Oh..." Andrea said, pausing for just a second too long, the question having caught her offguard, "Just from around."

Shane nodded but she could see he wasn't content with the answer.

Andrea. The name Rick had said before he lost consciouness. Shane scrutinized her out of the corner of his eyes, while her own eyes were pained and glued to Ricks face. She was emotionally attatched, he knew that much. She wouldn't be here if she wasn't, just like he wouldn't be here if he wasn't harbouring an all consuming love for his best friends wife. Guilt constantly threatened to consume him and more than once. he'd told Lori it was over, only to have her tempt him once more. Shane never was very good at avoiding temptation, or fighting it, for that matter. When a woman, especially a woman like Lori, offered herself to him...not once in his history had Shane been able to say no.

The question was, he thought as he pulled himself away from thoughts of Lori, just how attatched was this Andrea person. Was it possible that Rick had been as unfaithful as his wife?

Shane wouldn't blame him, he thought. She had tear tracks down her face and her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she was certainly hot. Blonde; Shanes normal type. Lori was the exception. It was that moment she chose to stand up and start pacing the room and Shane got a nice view of her perfectly toned behind through her trousers. Rick sure had made a good choice in this one, he thought.


	15. Chapter 15

**In Another Life**

A week passed and still Rick didn't wake up.

Regardless of what she'd told herself, Andrea hadn't moved herself or Penny out of the house she shared with Philip. She didn't have the energy to do it; she'd been spending most nights at the hospital with Rick and, when he wasn't working the night shift at the police station, Shane would stay to keep her company until, into the early hours of the morning, they both would leave him. Andrea knew she should be more careful around Shane; who knew whether or not he was close to Ricks wife, whether he would tell her about the strange woman who sat at Ricks bedside, clutching his hand and talking to his unconscious form about some guy called Dixon and the fact that Penny had finally stopped crying all the time. It was probably the time she was spending away from her daughter, she told him, that was settling Penny more when she came home. Andrea felt like she'd lost her right arm when she was at work.

One night, she'd brought Penny to the hospital with her and the little girl had sat in her pram, gurlging to herself, while Andrea spoke to Rick. Penny had started whining, reaching out of the pram and when Andrea picked her up, the child started struggling, hands stretched in Ricks direction. At Shanes insistance, she had placed Penny on the bed and immediately, the baby had layed her little head on Ricks chest, sucking her dummy until she fell asleep. The sight both warmed and broke Andreas heart and since then, she hadn't brought Penny back.

She and Shane got to know eachother fairly well. Shane, she noticed, didn't mention much about how he knew Rick or how close they were, which Andrea was grateful for because that meant she never had to elaborate on how she and Rick had come to be...acquaintances.

One night, after Shane had said he was going to go and get them both a drink, she was speaking to him again, about Penny.

"She's one next week, Rick." She told him, a slight smile on her face, "God, I can't believe it. She was only eleven months old when we met. You know what that means? It means I've known you for three weeks and I already don't think I could live without you."

She picked up his hand, pressing a kiss to the knuckles. Tears fell onto his skin and she looked at his face over their hands.

"I can't live without you, now, dammit. Rick, don't leave me, OK? I know I can't have you, I know you're not _mine. _I could never take you away from your beautiful little boy," Shane had showed her a picture of Carl, "But...god, Rick, just don't leave. Hold on for me, OK? Just a little bit longer and then you'll wake up and...and we can be whatever you want." She laughed, tearfully, "I'll be your goddamn mistress, if I must, I just can't lose you now."

She fell into silence, tears falling hot and fast down her cheeks, when voices interrupted her train of thought.

"I just can't do it anymore, Lor." It was Shanes voice and, from the sound of it, he was talking to Ricks wife. Andrea wiped her cheeks and walked over to the door, peering out and noticing that Shane was on the phone.

"It's not that, you know it's not. It's bad enough that this has been going on as long as it has," He said, putting a hand to his brow, "I can't do it to him anymore. Yeah, I know he's in a coma but...Lor, you're not listening to me. You know how much I love Carl, I love him like my own son and...well, as for you..." He turned his back to her, oblivious still to her presence, and sighed. "I've never felt this way about anyone. But he's my friend, my brother, even, and you're his wife."

There was silence. Clearly, Lori was having her say. Andrea strained to listen, but she was too far away. Giving up, she waited for Shanes reply.

"Aww, I don't know, Lor. Don't pull that trick. I can't. He'd find out. If I moved in, Carl would spill the beans, you know he would, and we can't ask the kid to keep his mouth shut about that." Silence. "OK. Sure, I'll come round when I'm done here. I love you, too. Bye, baby."

Andrea quickly tip-toed back to her seat, taking up the position she'd been in since Shane had left the room. He reenterred and sat down, looking as innocent as he had the first time she met him. She was looking at him from a completely different perspective now.

"Drinks?" She said and he looked at her, questioningly, so she elaborated. "You said you were going to get drinks."

"Oh yeah," He replied, pushing himself out of his chair again, "I'll go now."

"No," She responded, "It's fine. I was leaving anyway. Goodnight, Shane."

She cast one last, long look at Rick, longing to drop a kiss onto his pale lips, unable to due to Shanes presence. She settled for that one last look, before leaving the room, the information she'd aquired regarding Shane and Lori burning in her mind.


	16. Chapter 16

**In Another Life**

It was Amy's idea, in the end. At Pennys party, when she saw how exhausted her sister was, she forced her hand

"Philip," She said, within earshot of Andrea, "How would you like to spend some quality time with your daughter while my sister and I go on a little road trip? You'd love too? Great, we'll leave tonight then? Awesome."

Then she walked away from him and he caught Andreas eyes across the room. For a minute, he looked angry and Andrea felt her own eyes widen with fear, losing her focus on the task in hand. This resulted in Penny squeezing the juice bottle Andrea had been holding for her and Andrea ending up with a large, purple stain on her white dress and smelling like blackcurrant. Still, Philips eyes seemed so soften when he saw the fear in his wifes eyes and he made no comment.

Later, after she'd changed into jeans and a vest top, Andrea cornered her sister in the lounge.

"What the hell was that?" She demanded.

"Sis," Amy said, sitting them both down on the sofa, "Do you want me to be honest? You look like hell. I was talking to Jaqui before and she said that you're never home when she calls around and Philip always just says you're 'out'. Either you're working on some enormous case you just _forgot _to tell everyone about, or you're avoiding your husband. I know you and Philip go through your rough patches," Andrea didn't bother enlightening her sister to the abuse she'd been suffering under his hands, lately, but indignation bubbled inside of her, ready to rise at anytime, "But you know what it's like to go through a divorce, as a kid, do you wanna do that to my beautiful neice?"

It was true. Their father had split up from Andreas mother when Andrea was five years old and they'd been at odds for years. The animosity between them only got worse when, six years later, their father married Amy's mother and then they had Amy. It was only when Penny was born that Andrea had put her foot down, telling them that either they learned to get along for the sake of their granddaughter, or neither of them would ever be invited to any of Penny's birthday parties because Andrea couldn't stand going through another awkward affair like her wedding, where her parents had spent the entire night slagging eachother off to Philips family members. Andrea had never been so mortified in her life and she and Philip had actually left for the airport early, because she simply couldn't stand watching them ruin her wedding day.

But this was different, she told herself. Her father had never laid a hand on her mother, and vice versa. That hadn't been an abusive relationship, just one between two people who'd fallen into a physical relationship way too quickly, and Andrea had been the product. They'd given it a shot, five years of it, but in the end it simply hadn't work and the break up had been much more painful than it had to be. Andrea had only been young, of course, she didn't remmeber it, but she remembered things that happened afterwards and the last thing she wanted to do was to do that to her own daughter.

She shook her head and Amy smiled.

"Great. Roadtrip!"

* * *

Andrea didn't know how she felt about leaving Penny, especially on her birthday and for several days after they left, she felt continuing guilt for having abandoned her. She was with Philip, though, and, regardless of what he'd done to her, Andrea knew for a fact that there was no way he could hurt his little girl. Andrea had gotten a good screaming at a few weeks ago just because she'd told Penny off for throwing her food on the floor. He couldn't be strict with her, let alone hurt her.

Andrea sighed at the memory, knowing her marriage was past the point of return. At the same time, though, she knew what Amy said was right. How could she raise Penny by herself? And she knew Philip wouldn't sign divorce papers willingly, so there would be conflict there. There was no way out of this, that she could see, which didn't result in her not getting hurt. Still, she'd rather she got hurt than Penny.

Her mind had strayed to Penny one night, as it did regularly, as they relaxed in the hotel room they'd booked for two nights. She was laying on her bed and her eyes were glued to the page of a book but she hadn't taken in a single word; she couldn't stop wondering what her daughter was doing. She'd phoned every night to wish Penny sweet dreams and say goodnight, but it wasn't the same as being there. Andrea felt like she'd lost a part of herself. It was such a strange feeling, especially as she'd only just started spending the days away from Penny when she went to work.

And then there was Rick.

Those two people, her daughter and Rick, had taken up most of her waking thoughts, so much so that Amy had frequently called her out for being distant and a little ignorant because, whenever she wasn't driving, she wasn't really concentrating on their conversation. She let her mind stray far too much and it had been annoying Amy immensley.

"Andrea!" She heard Amy call her name from her own bed. She was sitting in her pyjamas, legs crossed, remote in hand, facing the television and she was gesturing at it wildly. "Some serious shit is going down."

Andrea sat up, closing her book, and looked at the television. There, in large letters at the bottom of the screen, were the words; '**Breaking News**'.

There were images on the screen that were more horrific than anything Andrea had ever seen. It was like Halloween had come to life, only this wasn't make believe and it was hell. People were being shot and they just kept coming, people were having their faces chewed off, attacking animals in the street and biting into their flesh, savagely.

Andrea put her hands to her face, covering her nose and mouth, while Amy stated that she was going to be sick and raced to the bathroom. Andrea could hear her sister heaving but she couldn't take her eyes off the television screen. More and more videos were being loaded, until they finally stopped. A terrified and disgusted looking reporter appeared on the screen. His face was white, his hands shaking, sweat rolled off his brow.

"Keep your families close, lock your doors and pray. Pray for your own lives and the lives of the people you love. Pray for everyone because this truly is the apocalypse. This is your worst nightmare..the dead walk."


	17. Chapter 17

**In Another Life**

Andrea didn't waste a moment. She jumped off the bed and yanked her suitcase from beneath it, throwing clothes haphazardly into the bag without even bothering to fold them. She roughly pulled off her pyjamas and began yanking her jeans on so quickly that she pulled them on backwards. Annoyed, she pulled them off again and this time they slid on the right way.

She didn't even bother to change out of her pyjama top but instead grabbed a hoodie and slipped it over her head. She was pulling on her boots by the time Amy walked out of the bathroom.

"Andrea?" Amy asked, looking confused and wiping the back of her hand across her lips. Her eyes and nose were red from where she'd been crying and throwing up at the same time, but all Andrea could think about was her little girl. "Andrea, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Andrea threw back, picking up her purse and checking she had all of the cards she had brought with her. "I'm going to get my daughter."

"Didn't you hear it? I was in the bathroom and I heard it. _Lock your doors_. That means no one goes outside." Amy told her, stepping forwards, trying to talk some sense into her sister.

"You think I give a damn?" Andrea said, throwing her hair into a ponytail. "She is my _daughter,_ Amy. You don't have kids, you don't understand. I need to be with her."

"I get that, Andrea, but people are _dying-"  
_

"I'd rather die with her, Amy. If I'm going to die, I'd rather it was with her, no matter how it happens! This is fucked up, Amy! It's the fucking apocalypse!" She let out an insane laugh, "The end of the world.

She gestured wildly at the television and, for a moment, thought Amy was going to argue with her again. Instead, she just nodded and started throwing her own things into her suitcase. They were on the road in ten minutes.

* * *

"It's not possible."

Andreas voice was so quiet that Amy almost didn't hear her speak.

It had taken three days for them to make a trip which, ordinarily, would have taken eight hours, because the roads were that blocked with people just trying to find _somewhere _safe. They had seen things on their trip which had made their blood curdle and sent what little food they were able to force themselves to eat right back up.

Now they stood in Andreas livingroom. There was no one here and, judging by the small layer of dust on the television and coffee table, there had been no one here for at least two days.

Philip wasn't here, but more importantly, whereever he'd gone...he'd taken Penny with him. Andrea sank down onto her couch, staring into space. Her face was blank, her eyes glassy. Amy walked around the couch and crouched down in front of her sister, taking her hands.

"Andie?" She said, using the nickname she'd given her as children, "Andrea? It's going to be OK. I promise-"

"How." Andrea stated, "How...can you say that?"

They lapsed back into silence and tears pooled in Andreas eyes. What was she supposed to do now? Without her daughter, Andreas live had very little meaning. She didn't even know if Penny was alive at this point. Dead people were standing up and walking around...for all she knew, Philip could be one of those dead people and her daughters remains could be splattered on the floor somewhere, her lifeless eyes staring at the sky.

The thought made Andrea cry out from the pain it induced in her heart and she bent over, tears pouring hot and fast from her eyes, chest pressed against her knees, sobs that hurt her throat escaping. Amy didn't know what to do. She'd never seen her sister break down, never seen her cry before, and this was a genuine break down. Amy felt her own tears start to form but held them back, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes. She couldn't break down, not while her sister was so distraut. She had to be practical and make plans for both of them. If Andrea was ever going to see her daughter or her husband again, they needed to be safe and to do that, they needed supplies.

"Andie, I'm gonna go get some supplies, okay?" Amy told her, but she didn't think Andrea heard through her sobs. In truth, Amy didn't think Andrea even knew she was there anymore.


	18. Chapter 18

**In Another Life**

The days that followed were among the most painful in Amys life. She had her sister by herside, but Andrea was a meer shell of herself. She didn't talk, she wouldn't eat or drink. Amy doubted she would breath if it wasn't an automated response.

They drove for hours, never stopping for anything. It was, in fact, the only thing Andrea did and when Amy would claim it was time to switch, Andrea would simply ignore her until her eyes started drooping and the car would veer to the side of the road. Finally, she would reluctantly climb out of the car and Amy would take her place.

The things they saw were beyond believable. The dead really did walk. Every day, they saw hordes of corpses walking around, their eyes quickly sinking into the back of their skulls, their skin beginning to dry. Some of them had limbs hanging from their bodies, tendon and muscle seeping out of wounds, blood soaked clothing. It was a scene from Amy's worst nightmare, only this time she couldn't wake up.

Every so often, the car would need refilliing so they would drive until they found a gas station which was relatively deserved and also had gas left; people had gone crazy, looting everywhere, when the outbreak happened.

On one particular occaasion, Amy climbed out of the car and glanced at Andrea as she did so. It looked like her sister was asleep so Amy quietly shut the door and ran around the car, sticking the pump into the vehicle. She glanced wildly around herself, making sure she was safe, and saw that there was only one other vehicle in the lot, an old RV. That was when she felt the hand grab her wrist and screamed.

Turning, she saw what was obviously once the cashier at the gas station, if his shirt was anything to go by. Now, however, he was almost unrecognizable. Clearly, whatever entity had bitten him had a liking for human face as so much of the skin and muscle had been chewed out that Amy could see the monsters cheek bones as clearly as she could see its teeth neering her wrist. She struggled and screamed manically, hoping her sister would hear her. She did.

Amy felt the shot reverberate through her bones and, when the geek fell to the floor, Amys knees gave way and she found herself falling too. Andreas hands caught her before she hit the floor and she clung to her sister the way she had clung to her mother as a child. Andrea hushed her, soothingly, stroking back her hair and uttering comforting words. It was the first time Amy had heard her sister speak since they'd found out about Penny and Philip leaving and the sound brought joy to her, especially after her ordeal. She hugged her sister tightly and, after a moment of stillness, felt Andrea hug her back. They were all eachother had in this world and there was no way they were about to lose eachother.

"Are you girls okay?" They heard a voice shout and they quickly broke apart, but Andrea kept one hand around her sisters shoulders. A man stood looking at them, his eyes wide and concerned and started to cross the carpark towards them. "You girls look like you've been through the mill." He told them and Amy looked between herself and her sister.

He wasn't wrong. Neither of them had washed their hair or their bodies since the hotel and they only had a limited amount of clothes, so most of what they'd worn was pretty dirty.

"Yeah...I guess we have." Amy said to him and held out her hand as he neared them. "I'm Amy."

"Dale." He said, taking her hand in his and putting his other hand over the top in an enthusiastic handshake. Amy smiled at him; he seemed like a nice guy. "And you are?"

"Andrea." She told him, nodding in his direction with a tight smile. He nodded back and returned the smile, though his looked a lot more genuine than Amy thought her sisters had. Not that she could blame Andrea.

"Well, Amy, Andrea. If you'd like, you're welcome to travel with me. There is safety in numbers and the RV," He gestured towards his transportation, "Has a shower, cooker, facilities to wash your clothes."

"I don't know..." Andrea started, before Amy could agree.

"If you'd rather not travel with me," He said, quickly, "You're welcome to use the facilities of the RV and then be on your way."

"No," Amy smiled, "We really appreciate the offer and we'd love to travel with you."

She sensed that Andrea was about to argue with her and so excused them, taking hold of her sisters arm and dragging her away from Dale. Andrea tensed slightly but allowed herself to be dragged.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked. Andrea raised an eyebrow.

"We haven't met any _people _for almost a week. He seems like a really nice guy and I'm sick of sleeping sitting up!" Amy insisted and Andrea sighed. "Andrea, I'm tired of this."

Andrea sighed again and looked over Amys shoulder at Dale, who was tinkering away at the RV. She looked at her sister, whose eyes were pleading. Finally, she slowly nodded and Amy smiled, hugging her sister. Andrea couldn't help but smile back slightly, lips curling up at the corners. She still felt lost, empty, but she knew she'd just been making it worse for Amy and this world was bad enough without her giving her sister a hard time.


	19. Chapter 19

**In Another Life**

Amy smiled, standing in the doorway to the bedroom of the RV, and seeing her sister sleeping soundly for the first time since the hotel. As soon as Andreas head hit the pillow, she was gone, and Amy couldn't blame her. Amy couldn't imagine what her sister was going through; Amy felt the heartbreak of losing her neice, but she knew that would be nothing in comparison to losing a daughter. She wouldn't have blamed Andrea if she'd retreated into herself and stayed that way forever.

Closing the door slowly, she made her way to the front of the RV, where Dale was driving. He glanced at her when she neared, a friendly smile appearing on his face. She observed the way his eyes creased when he smiled and thought he reminded her a little of her father. Sitting in the passenger seat, she drew her knees up to her chin.

"Can't sleep?" Dale asked and she shook her head.

"I don't want to disturb Andrea. She's had it worse than most." She said, but then realised that perhaps Dale had been through his own trauma and closed her mouth quickly. Dale, apparently sensing her awkwardness, sighed to himself.

"Don't you worry," He told her, "The people I cared about were long since dead before any of this started. Who did your sister lose?"

"Her daughter." She told him and watched as his eyes closed tightly, clearly an expression at how he understood how awful that must have been. He glanced at her again.

"I'm sorry." He said, sincerely, and Amy nodded in response.

"She wasn't...bitten or turned. Her dad took her."

"Her father kidnaped her?"

"No." Amy said, "They weren't separated but we went on a road trip before...before all this started. When we heard about it, we came back and found their house empty, Penny and Philips clothes gone..."

"Ah." Was all Dale said.

They sat in silence for a while, each trying to ignore the presence of the dead. Several times Dale had to hit one. If he stopped, they both knew the geeks would crowd and overtake the car, to they just kept going, keeping their eyes straight ahead.

"I'm sorry about your neice." Dale said, finally, stretching a hand over to her and clutching her hand. Amy smiled over at him, feeling protected. He continued to remind her of her father and she couldn't help but be comforted by his meer presence.

* * *

It was the next morning they came across the camp.

Amy couldn't really believe it. One day they'd found Dale and the next, they found a whole group of people. They were welcomed and offered drinks and food. Amy watched her sister as the other survivors interacted with her and thought she had retreated even further into herself.

At the camp, there was T-Dog, a large and friendly man who welcomed them with a hug and a smile. There was Ed, Carol and Sophia, who T-Dog told them about because they kept their distance. There was Morales and his family, who were all friendly. There was Glenn, a chipper and sweet young boy who both sisters instantly took a liking too. There were a couple of guys, one who didn't look at them and one who looked at them all too much. There was a mother and son who greeted them with a smile. The little boy was having his hair cut and didn't look too happy about it. And, shockingly, there was Jaqui, who embraced the sisters warmly, tears springing to her eyes as she did so. This minor connection to their life from before the outbreak affected each of them.

"So, where did you guys come from?" T-Dog asked, but Andrea didn't hear the rest of his sentence because, at that moment, someone she thought she knew fairly well emerged from the bushes.

"Shane." She murmmured and Amy looked at her, confused, but Andrea was already making her way to the cop.

"Andrea?" He asked, in disbelief, looking at her with wide eyes. He had a rifle at his side and a knife in his belt; clearly he was one of the few well equipped to deal with this new world. "I can't believe you're alive."

It was impulsive, but in the next moment, they were hugging and she was crying. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the fact that Shane was the only link back to the life before, other than Amy, or the loss of her daughter catching up to her all over again. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the realisation that the woman sitting, cutting her sons hair, was the wife of the man with whom she had begun an affair.

* * *

**OK, so I know the past few chapters have been pretty Rickdrea-less. Trust me...I'm getting there again! ;)  
**

**Hope you're all still enjoying it! Remember to R&R!**

**Love,**

**S x**


	20. Chapter 20

**In Another Life**

Life at camp progressed relatively smoothly. They settled into the group and began helping out. They did laundry with Carol and Jaqui and several times, they went fishing with Dales equipment and brought back that nights meal. They became a valid part of the group and Amy could see how having a community begin to build itself around Andrea helped her. It helped her to cope and, though Amy knew that there was no way Andrea would ever recover from the loss of her daughter, keeping busy kept it off her mind, if only for the shortest time.

They slept in the RV, so at least they had warm beds. They were lucky; most of the people in the camp were sleeping in tents. Not only were Dale, Andrea and Amy warmer than the others, they were safer too.

No geeks came into their camp, for which they were grateful. They were too far up the mountain for it to be a problem, because there was plenty of food on the ground to keep them occupied with for the time being, or so Dale said. They were all inclined to agree, though, because whenever anyone made a run, they'd all state how horrific Atlanta was and how no one who enterred, unknowingly, would be coming out. They were just another food supply for the dead. Amy shuddered at the thought.

The subject of these runs into the city came up one night and, surprising everyone, Andrea put forth her name to go.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"She's sure," Merle put in and Amy rolled her eyes. Everything that came out of that mans mouth was offensive and vulgar. She watched as other peoples faces expressed similar distaste to her own, but still Merle continued. "Whore wants some good ol' Dixon lovin', right, Blondie?"

His eyebrows raised several times in her direction and Andreas own shot up her forehead, mouth slightly open in shock. She scoffed, a smirk appearing on her lips.

"Oh, please," She said, "Don't flatter yourself, Merle. If I wanted the 'Dixon loving', I'd go to your brother a million times before I'd go to you."

There were several exclaimation around the campfire, some hissed chuckles, mostly laughter at Merles expense. His expression darkened and he spat to the floor, taking the cigarette he'd lit out of his mouth and flicking it into the fire, eyes never leaving Andreas, before turning his back and stomping off into the trees.

Daryl, who had little-to-no response to pretty much everything everyone said, followed, a smirk plastered on his face.

"So you really wanna go tomorrow?" Shane asked and Andrea nodded, "OK, thats sorted. Andrea, T-Dog, Morales, Jaqui and Glenn. Oh, and Dixon."

* * *

The following day, Andrea began to question her decision. What if they were right? What if the city was overrun so badly that it became impossible for them to leave and they ended up as geek chow? Still, she refused to pull out now; she didn't want anyone- especially Dixon- to call her a coward.

So she climbed into the car with the others, making sure she had the gun her father had given her years ago, when she'd first moved into the city, the one she'd used to kill the geek who'd had hold of Amy, and put on a brave face when her sister and Dale came to say goodbye.

"Be safe." Amy told her, kissing her cheek and Andrea smiled back at her, giving a little shrug. Her eyes said she would be.

"Hey, sugartits." Merle grinned, as he climbed into the car beside her. Andrea rolled her eyes and looked out of the window, instead of at him. His smell filled the car and it almost made her gag; he smelt like he hadn't washed in weeks. He probably hadn't, by the look of him, and Andrea found herself repulsed.

As they drove, Andrea found herself contemplating her true reason for wanting to go into the city for the day. Life at camp, though safe, was isolating and however much Andrea tried to keep herself busy, however much she allowed Amy to think she was keeping herself and her mind busy, she couldn't forget loss of the two people which held her heart down everyday. Penny and Rick.

Guilt suffocated her everyday, everytime she saw Lori or Carl or even, to some extent, Shane, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of shame and dishonor at what she and Rick had done. Then she would remember the phone conversation she'd overheard between Shane and Lori and, for a second, her guilt would dissipate. Then she'd remember what she'd witnessed a few nights ago...

* * *

_It was night, but Andrea couldn't sleep. The air was stuffy and too still, heavy in her lungs, so she got up and walked outside. It was a clear night, not dark at all, and the clearing was illuminated. _

_There were people in the trees._

_She heard giggling and then a gasp._

_Immediately, she felt voyeuristic and intrusive, but upon further inspection, she realised who the people were. There was no mistaking; Lori and Shane. Her suspicions were confirmed._

_How could they do that to Rick? _

Hypocrite,_ a voice in her head said, not for the first time, but she pushed it down. It didn't excuse them, if anything, it made her feel less guilty for what had happened between her and Rick. For just a second, until the next day, when she saw her. His wife. _

_It didn't matter what she was doing behind his back because what Rick and Andrea had done paralelled that and outruled it. It was a childish way to lok at it, but it was the only way Andrea could see it in that moment._

It doesn't matter._ The voice said again, _He's dead.

_And just like that, Andrea felt her heart break a little more._

* * *

...and her heart would ache for Rick, who was almost certainly dead in this new world. She didn't see how he could be anything else.

They arrived at the store and immediately went to the roof, which, she was told, was usual protocol. They liked to make sure they knew how many geeks were in the area before they started gathering supplies.

Andrea couldn't believe the numbers. It seemed, to her, that most everyone in the city had been turned.

"Guys!"

T-Dogs voice came from the other side of the roof and the others hurried to his side.

"Glenns gone to save some guys ass." He stated and they looked at him, blankly. "Some white guy was stuck in a tank and Glenn got all moral and had to go save him."

"Jesus." Jaqui said, casting a glance heavenward. They all walked to the edge of the building and looked over to see the tank he was talking about. "Come on."


	21. Chapter 21

**OK, here it is. The big reunion.**

**Warning; By the end, you may hate me.**

* * *

**In Another Life**

Back downstairs, they waited impatiently for Glenns return. Andrea paced, adjitated, but when the doors finally opened, the first thing she did was grab the intruder by the collar and press his back against a pile of boxes, holding her gun to his face.

"We're all dead because of you, asshole!" She said, violently, before her eyes met those of the man she was threatening and her hand dropped. His eyes were wide, locked on her face, disbelieving, his mouth open as if to speak. Words, however, seemed to evade him.

The others were speaking, she knew, but for a moment, everything else flew out of her head. She couldn't think of the group, she couldn't think of Lori or Carl or Shane, she couldn't think of Amy, she couldn't even think of Penny. All she could think of was how Rick was standing in front of her, looking at her with eyes full of disbelief and amazement, and how he was _real_ and _true_ and _here_.

They moved simultaneously, her gun dropping to the floor, careless that the shock could set it off. His arms were around her back, pulling her ever closer, while hers twisted through his hair. She could feel him, warm and solid in her arms, hear the rush of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, taste him as their lips moved together, as well as the saltiness of her own tears, which fell, unashamedly, down her cheeks.

It was so untrue, so impossible...but the moment had to end sometime and, finally, one of the others coughed and Rick tore his lips from hers, pressing his forehead against hers. They were both panting, both crying, both overwhelmed by the situation. She laughed, in need of a release of emotion of some sort, and her arms wound around his neck, closing the distance between their bodies completely, as he held her so tightly that she was actually lifted a little off the floor.

"Andrea." He breathed her name, as if he had to say it, just to be sure and she nodded, tears mingling with her nervous laughter.

"Lets give them a minute." She heard Jaqui say, and the woman herded the others away from them.

The room was empty, but still Andrea didn't step away. Thoughts of his wife and his son enterred her mind, finally, but she still couldn't bring herself to distance herself from him. His arms were wrapped so tightly around her that she thought even if she wanted too, she couldn't tear herself away from him.

"I can't believe it." He whispered, "You're here."

She nodded and unwound her arms from around his neck to take hold of his hands and press his knuckles to her lips. "I'm here." She confirmed. "I can't believe _you're_ here."

She noticed he was wearing his sherriffs uniform and slowly unfastened the first few buttons of his shirt, moving it out of the way and running her hand over the bullet wound. It was healed, but scarred. She looked from it to his eyes and saw them filled with such intense emotion that her knees turned to jelly and butterflies appeared in her stomach.

"This has to be a dream." She told him, shaking her head slightly and he smiled, holding her chin in place as he kissed her once again, this time softly, slowly.

"Best dream I've had in a _long _time." He whispered against her lips and she trembled.

It was then that reality kicked in and her heart, which had rejoiced at seeing him again, alive and well, at having him kiss her and hold her, shattered.

"Lori." She whispered back, their lips still close enough that the movement brushed her own against his. He froze and she watched the expression in his eyes change from soft to confused to shocked. She sighed and stepped away from him, immediately feeling cold as she missed the close proximity.

"Lori..." He mumbled, raking a hand through his hair. He turned away from her and she sighed, deciding it was better to break the ice now than to surprise him later.

"We have a camp...she's there."

He spun back around to look at her, eyes wide. "And Carl?"

She nodded. "Carl is there."

Ricks eyes closed and she watched his lips move in a silent prayer. His hands rested on his head and he crouched, unable to support the weight of the information she'd just piled onto him. She couldn't move; she felt immobilized.

How could she have found him and lost him again in such a short space of time? It was like the universe was teasing her with happiness and then cruelly snatching it away from her. She couldn't bring herself to smile as he beamed up at her.

"My son is safe." He was overcome with emotion once again and his head dropped, a sob wracking his shoulders. "Oh, thank god."

He was so humbled and so typically human in that moment that, once again, she longed to wrap her arms around his shaking body and cry with him. But she'd erected a wall between them by telling him that his wife and son were alive.

She hadn't told him that his wife was sleeping with his friend; she had a feeling that, if she had, they might have been better off.

* * *

**OK...so do you love me or hate me? **

**I've come to the conclusion that, right now, I'm kind of like marmite. Which is ironic. Because I hate marmite...**

**I hope you guys don't hate me, but after that emotional rollercoaster of a chapter, I won't blame you if you do ;)**

**Love you guys, thank you for your awesome reviews! This is now my most reviewed fic, ever, in any fandom! So thanks! **

**Here, have some virtual cake!**

**S x**


	22. Chapter 22

**In Another Life**

There was shouting from one of the other rooms and Andrea, without waiting for Rick to follow, hurried to see what was distressing the others. As soon as she walked into what was obviously the storefront of the shop, she knew they were in trouble. There were living corpses pressed against the glass, trying their hardest to break into the shop. They were driven by one urge; hunger and all they knew was that dinner resided within the shop walls, just behind the glass, just beyond their reach.

Andrea looked over her shoulder at Rick, whose face showed no sighs of his having been crying, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. He gave her a sheepish look and she knew he was playing with her. She couldn't help but smile slightly back at him, even though she knew they were literally in mortal peril.

"Right," Glenn said, and he proceeded to tell them of his plan. He and Morales were going to go down into the tunnels and try to figure a different way out while Rick and Andrea were to stay in the storefront and kill any geeks which got through.

"I call 'em Walkers." Rick stated, quietly and Glenn nodded.

"Seems appropriate."

They went their separate ways; everyone else went upstairs, and Andrea and Rick were left alone.

"They're not very subtle." She told him, an apologetic tone underlying her attempt at humour. He smiled back at her and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks, embarassed at his brazen appraisal of her. She lowered her eyes, lashes casting shadows down her cheeks.

"You look good." He told her and she laughed, a little harsly.

"I don't feel great." Rick looked at her, confused, "...Penny is...well, she's not at camp."

"What?" Rick asked her, confused and concerned. She proceeded to tell him what happened with Philip and how she and Amy had found the house empty. "The bastard!" Rick said, passionately.

"I don't think he did it on purpose, Rick." She told him and he looked at her like she was insane.

"Are you joking, Andrea?" He asked, incredulously. "The man abused you! You can't possible be telling me that you don't think he took your daughter on purpose. He probably did it before this shit started happening; he probably did it to hurt you!"

"Do you think the thought didn't cross my mind, Rick? I'm not that goddamn naive!" She told him, her voice raising in anger, "But I can't even think of that right now. I can't believe that with all of the evil thats happening in the world..my little girl might be with one of the most evil men I've ever met. I can't dwell on the fact that I'm not there for her and I can't dwell on the fact that I would be if Amy hadn't convinced me to go on the roadtrip because if I do, I'll break down and I won't be able to bring myself back. I don't konw what to do, Rick! I want to find her, but in this new world I just...I don't know where to start."

They fell into silence again.

Rick remembered each and every moment he'd spent with her and he knew there'd been a lot of moments of silence. None, however, compared to this. It was so tangible, so tense, that he knew one wrong word could break whatever they had forever. Andrea was fighting back tears and he was fighting back the urge to put his arms around her once more. It pained him that she wasn't his to keep, that he wasn't hers, because it felt so wrong to just stand by and watch her blink away her pain, refusing to cry in front of him _again. _She had done that too many times already; she had to keep some sense of pride.

The glass doors shook and Ricks neck snapped around to see that the Walkers had made it through the outer doors and were now pressed against the inner ones, scratching and gnawing at the glass. The crowd behind them was growing and Rick knew it was only a matter of time before they broke in.

"Andrea," He said, softly, reaching out to take hold of her hand, "Come on."

* * *

Up on the roof, they found Merle shooting his gun at Walkers in the street and hollaring at the top of his lungs. Andrea groaned as soon as she saw him doing it and Rick knew by that, that it wasn't a one-time thing. This guy was an ass.

"Come on, man," A black guy was saying to him, urging him down, "We don't need any more of those things around, and you're just attractin' 'em with all your shootin' and shoutin'. Get down, crazy."

"'Aint no nigger ever told me what to do." The man said, spitting at the floor near the larger mans feet

"Thats enough." Rick said, releasing Andreas hand and walking over to where the man stood, gripping the back of his shirt and yanking him down from the ledge where he stood. His frustration, he knew, was built up from the tension between him and Andrea before, and anger directed towards what Philip had done to her, but he didn't care. He needed an outlet and this man was offering one.

"Whoa-whoa!" The redkneck said, as Rick threw him to the floor and was on top of him in an instant, fastning one handcuff around his wrist, the other around a pipe, "What the fuck are you doing, you son of a bitch? Who the hell are you?"

"Officer Friendly." Rick said, his face intimidatingly close to the mans. "You?"

"I 'aint none of your business."

"Thats Merle Dixon." Andrea told him, from where she stood, arms folded across her chest.

Merle looked around Rick, a sleazy smile on his lips. "Aww, sugartits, why you gotta rat me out?"

That drove Rick into a fit of rage and, the next thing he knew, he was punching Merle Dixon like he hadn't punched for a long time. Blood flew from the mans mouth, Ricks knuckles began to ache from the impact, but he couldn't stop. It was only when he felt her hand on his shoulder that he halted.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, man?" Merle asked. His voice was muffled because he held a hand protectively over his face. Rick could practically hear his swollen lips and cheek through the way he spoke.

"Dammit, Rick, what the hell is wrong with you?" Andreas voice, shocked and angry, came from behind him.

"He called you-"

"It is not your job to protect me." She said, pointedly, before disappearing through the doors and down the stairs, back into the building, leaving Rick with a bewildered looking group of people.

"Damn. Girl got some issues." T-Dog murmurred, before turning to look back at the street.


	23. Chapter 23

**In Another Life**

Rick followed her inside, ignoring T-Dogs comment, and heard her clatter down the stairs. The pace of her feet told him her mood; she was angry. It amazed Rick how well he could read her sometimes, but how at other times, she was indecipherable to him. He sped down the stairs and onto the shop floor, where he spotted her blonde head disappearing through the clothes racks on the other side.

"Andrea." He called across the store, growing impatient. She didn't reply, so he made his way down the side of the clothes aisle, cutting her off at the end. She stood in the middle, having paused in her movement, staring at him, challenging him.

"What are you so pissed about?" He asked, shocked and a little amused. She raised her eyebrows at him and her face broke into a sardonic grin. She threw her hands up melodramatically.

"Well, you know what, I wouldn't expect you to know. You are a guy, after all."

"Thanks for noticing." He mumbled and her cheeks turned red. She looked at him, her eyes softening, but only slightly.

"Not funny." She told him, her voice quiet. She slowly walked towards him and sat on the floor beside him. He joined her and they sat in silence for a moment before she spoke. She pulled out her gun and rolled it from one hand to the other. He slowly extracted it from her grip and flicked a little switch.

"Next time, take the safety off." He told her, a slight smile on his face. She smiled back for a moemnt, before the smile seemed to melt from her face and was replaced by a frown that told him how much he was hurting her.

"This doesn't work any better than it did before, does it?" She asked him.

"Andrea," He said, "I don't think either of us know what _this _is. It's not exactly easy to define."

"My point."

Rick didn't know what to say. He'd had very little to offer to her in the old world, and in this new, brutal world, knowing he had something of his old life to go back too, he had even less to offer her. He wanted to offer her his world; sitting beside her wasn't enough to him, he wanted to be able to freely wrap his arms around her, to hold her, comfort and protect her from the evils that lurked around every corner, but he had other responsibilities and he'd been neglecting them for too long. If he neglected his family in this life, the way he had in the old life, one of them might not be around long enough to make amends and Rick didn't think he could live with that.

It was only as he was thinking this that it occurred to him that, in truth, Lori wasn't factoring into this equation very much. His thoughts were running along the lines of spending more time with Carl, bonding more with Carl, making sure Carl didn't leave his sight. His son was his family now; Lori was more of a stranger than a wife. Was it really only a few weeks ago that he'd been pondering over having Andrea draw up their divorce papers? And now they were irreparably attatched; Rick very much doubted they would have access to divorce attourneys in this world and he doubted even more that Andrea would have the time to draw up the papers, while watching her back for Walkers. Rick sighed.

"Rock and a hardplace." He mumbled and she glanced at him, eyebrows raised, questioning him. "I'm a little stuck here, Andrea."

He reached out and took one of her hands.

"You don't understand how much I want to be with you-"

"Oh, my god." She laughed in disbelief and tore her hand away, standing up and roughly pushing hair hair off her face. "You've got to be kidding me. You're giving me the breakup speech? Oh, please, Rick, save yourself the trouble."

She made to storm away, but he was on his feet, hand wrapped around her wrist. It drew her to a halt, but she wouldn't look at him.

"You know it's not like that."

"No?" Her head snapped around and her eyes bore into his. "I am not the jealous type, Rick, really, I'm not. But when it comes to you and her...you're not happy. Why should you have to pretend you are? We," She put one hand on his chest, his heartbeat steady beneath her fingers. She sighed and when she spoke again, her voice was softer, gentler. "We're happy. What we have..." Her eyes turned cold again and her hand fell. "You wanted this."

He sighed. "I know-"

"You came after me. You're the one who pushed it and pushed it until it was harder to hold it back than it was to give into whatever the hell it was!" She accused, her voice growing louder and angrier with each syllable. "You got us into this mess, you screwed around and now you're going to scamper off and play happy families and leave me to deal with your mess."

"It's not like that!"

"_Stop_ saying that!" She practically screamed it at him, clawing her hands through her hair, "It's _always _like that, Rick. You're a guy." A weak, painful smile appeared on her lips. "You're all the same."

And then she was gone, again and Rick didn't speak to her for days. Everytime he saw her, he wanted to apologise. Everytime Lori kissed him, he wanted to push her away. Everytime he saw her alone, he needed her. She wasn't the only one dealing with the mess he'd made.


	24. Chapter 24

**In Another Life**

Amy's death was what finally broke Andrea.

Her heart had been broken by Rick, her soul destroyed by the loss of Penny but Amy's death was the final straw.

Rick would never forget watching her lose her sanity for a short while, holding her dead sister in her arms, screaming as if that was going to bring her back; as if Amy was sleeping, and screaming would wake her up. Rick was a coward in that moment. Lori and Carl were clinging to him but all he wanted was to run to her, to take her in his arms and take away her pain; or at least help her through it. But he didn't. He kept one arm wrapped around each of his family members, while part of the woman he longed to be with died.

_You're a selfish bastard. _A voice in his head told him. He knew it to be true, but still he didn't go to her. He couldn't; he had to keep up appearances. He had to save his own skin.

Andrea didn't want him in those moments, anyway, but he wasn't to know that. She didn't want anyone except her sister. But Amy was gone, gone somewhere that Andrea couldn't follow unless she took the gun in her hand and put a bullet through her head. Before she did that, though, she needed to do it to Amy.

Slowly, she pulled out the mermaid necklace she'd picked up the day before, having slipped it into her pocket as they were leaving, and slid it around her sisters neck. The colour was shocking against the sickly pallor of her sisters throat; it contrasted harshly with the oozing red and brown smudge which was her bite. Andrea wouldn't look at it.

She needed something. She needed proof. Because maybe, just maybe, things would be different this time. Maybe Amy was strong enough to fight it; maybe she would come back normal, just with a headache and a little bit of a fever, which she would recover from in no time. They would move on, maybe find a safe settlement somewhere and then everything would be safe and they could start making plans about finding her daughter. Andrea would find Penny, break up with Philip once and for all and then she, Penny and Amy could move on with life and she would raise her daughter happy and strong, in this new and dangerous world.

It was the most fantastical daydream in the world, but for a moment, the weight on Andreas heart lifted. She heard footsteps behind her and she knew instantly who it was. Pulling her gun from her belt, she moved in one fluid movement, taking off the safety and pointing it at his face. She saw the shock in his expression but she didn't care. Her eyes were emotionless holes and his were scared.

"I know how the safety works." She warned, her voice dangerously quiet. He held up his hands as if in surrender and started to slowly back away. When he was at a reasonable distance, she lowered her weapon, turning back to her sister, eyes still as hallow as her heart felt.

Finally, after what seemed to Andrea like only minutes, but was in fact two days, Amy moved. It was just a twitch of her finger, but it as enough. Andrea, who hadn't moved since she'd collapsed at Amys side, watched as she opened her eyes. It was all Andrea could do to not start screaming again. This wasn't her sister. Amy was gone. In her place was something unnatural; something sinister and deadly. A monster. The cold, white eyes where her sisters blue ones used to be told her that.

She watched, horrified, as the thing used Amy's body to sit up, reached out Amy's hands to clasp her hair. The sobs slowly started as Andrea picked up the gun from where it had been since she'd threatened Rick, and pressed it to her sisters temple.

"I love you." She whispered, before pulling back the trigger. She felt the wetness on her own cheek and shoulder as Amy's brain exploded and the thing that had been inside of her was no more, and she felt deflated.

There was nothing else. Only heartbreak and loneliness. There was no joy, no pride, no emotion that was of any use to her. When Andrea dug deep inside of herself, she couldn't even find the negative emotions. She felt empty and drained and lost.

She felt alone.

Rick watched, horrified, as Andrea put a bullet through her own sisters head. No one in camp moved for a long time after that bullet went off; they didn't want to disturb her. It took Rick a while to realise that they were afraid of her. Afraid of Andrea. Somehow, those two factors, to him, didn't fit into the same equation and he slowly began to make his way over to her.

She didn't raise her gun on him this time, which she took to be a good sign. She looked at him as he crouched down next to him and he felt like he was looking into the eyes of a child; she looked so innocent and trusting in that moment. She was exhausted and lost. He didn't say anything, he simply took her hand and pulled her to her feet. She let him but as soon as she was stood up, her legs collapsed from beneath her and he caught her a second before she hit the ground.

Putting an arm beneath her feet and one beneath her head, he lifted her into his arms. She was featherlight; he could feel her ribs pressed against him and it struck him how little she'd eaten in the past two days. She'd done nothing but keep vigil at her sisters deathbed. He doubted she would have breathed or blinked if they weren't subconcious actions.

She was so exhausted in fact, that she fell asleep in his arms, long before her head hit her pillow.


	25. Chapter 25

**In Another Life  
****  
**The CDC, Rick thought, came as both a blessing and a curse. It was a curse to have their hopes torn to shreds; there was no cure, no one was working on a cure, all of their efforts to get here had be in vain. At the same time, however, it was a blessing to have warmth, a hot meal, clean pyjamas and, yes, good alcohol.

He was contemplating just how good the alcohol was on his way back to his bedroom when he heard it. It was the sound of someone throwing up. He smirked to himself. Someone had too much wine. Then he realised whose room it was and cursed himself. Of all people, Andrea was the one who had the most right to drink her troubles away.

Slowly, he pushed open the door to her room and saw that she'd left her bathroom door open. She was kneeling over the toilet, head bent over the bowl, soaking wet hair sticking to her sweaty forehead. He hurried to her side, pulling back her hair and rubbing her back in, what he hoped came across as, a soothing manner. Finally, she stopped heaving and closed the toilet lid, sitting back against the wall. She was paler than he'd ever seen her, and it wasn't just down to the alcohol; she looked genuinely ill. It worried him.

He sat with his elbows on his knees, studying her face. The fact that she didn't seem to mind that he'd just watched her throw up told him just how worried he should be. He didn't mind, of course; it didn't pay to be squeemish in this new world. But she should have minded. She didn't.

"It's over."

Her voice was so quiet that he almost missed it. Almost. But he didn't and what he heard was so filled with emotion that he couldn't help but think back to how empty her eyes were when she shot her sister, how empty they had remained, and wonder how broken a person has to be to be that far gone. Her eyes were dead when she looked at him. She had no will power, no confidence, no self-assurance. The person sitting in front of him wasn't teh person he met in that bar.

Thinking back to when he met her, in that bar, so sarcastic and witty, it seemed like a lifetime ago. It _was _a lifetime ago, or at least, it might as well have been, for all that had changed. It wasn't the same world and they weren't the same people. Life back then, he thought, amusingly, seemed hard. He'd happily take debts and unpaid overtime and a nagging wife and housework and carpooling over the Walkers anyday.

"There's nothing left."

He didn't know how to reply to her statements.

It seemed like she was right. He had something to life for; his son. Andrea now had no one. Amy was dead, Penny was gone. She had very little hope of finding her daughter and even less hope of finding her alive and healthy. Rick had no words that could make her pain go away, no gesture that would heal her sorrow and anger. There was nothing anyone could do; it was no use telling her it was all going to get better because they had absolutely no proof of that and, from what Jenner had told them so far, it wasn't getting any better because no one knew how to make it better. There really was nothing left. Except them.

* * *

The next day, when Jenner told them about the clock counting down and she told them she was staying, Rick couldn't bring himself to leave her.

He watched Carl and Lori leave and felt torn between his son and Andrea. But Carl had people who would help him, he had people to make him strong. Andrea didn't, not unless he helped her. He knew why she wanted to stay. She didn't have anything to live for.

"Andrea," He pleaded, crouching in front of her and gripping her knees, "You have to come with me. Amy wouldn't want this for you!"

She was looking at him in shock. "Amy's dead, Rick. And you need to leave. Now."

"I'm not going anywhere." He said, "I can't live in that world without you."

"Didn't you hear me last night? There is nothing left for me. But you...you've got a son that needs you. And a _wife_." He didn't miss the way she spat out the word, like it tasted sour in her mouth, but nor did he comment.

"I'm left." He told her, softly, and she looked at him through her wet lashes. "We're not over, Andrea. We can't be together, but I need you to know that that isn't out of choice. I don't love Lori anymore, but we live together, we're both part of this group and we have Carl. Those are the only reasons I'm not with you right now. I _need _you to understand that. I _need _you to know how much I want you, how much I need you, how much I love you."

Her eyes widened slightly at his final statement. If he hadn't been watching for some kind of emotional response, he wouldn't have noticed it, but he did. The tiny change in her expression told him all he needed to know. He meant every word. He'd been terrified to admit it to himself but it was impossible to deny it for any longer. He'd never loved anyone the way he loved her. He'd been tossing and turning since he'd found her again; guilt kept him up at night.

His guilt, however, wasn't rooted in the fact that his body had been unfaithful; more so that his heart was. He didn't love Lori anymore, that much he'd known for months. They both knew it but it was easier not to say it. Now, though, he couldn't keep it to himself anymore. He couldn't hold it in and, it turned out, he'd chosen the perfect moment to announce it.

Her hand slid into his and he closed his own around it, pulling her to her feet and towards the exit, glancing back at the timer as he did so. They had fourty seconds to make it out. It was going to be close. Too close for his liking, but if they died, at least she died knowing he loved her.

They were running and he knew in that moment that she had never really wanted to die. If she did, she wouldn't be running so fast to safe her life. If she thought death was the only way out, she wouldn't be running so fast to save his life.

The glass was somehow smashed and Rick spotted the tag from a grenade. Of course, Carol. She'd taken it from his uniform that first morning in camp; he thought he'd lost it running from the Walkers, but clearly not.

They made it out into the sunshine and her pace slowed; she wasn't trained to run like he was, she couldn't catch her breath and her feet were failing her. He refused to let her slow, though, and pulled her with him, shoving her first over the wall. Someone yelled for them to duck and he pushed her to the floor, throwing his body over hers as protection. There was an immense heat on his back, an explosion so loud he was surprised it didn't deafen both of them, and then an eerie silence.

Slowly, she looked over her shoulder at him. Her face was dirty and tear-marked, her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath and her cheeks were red, but her eyes weren't dead anymore. They were filled with such powerful emotions that it made his heart want to sing.

She was there. His Andrea was inside somewhere. He'd saved her life, now it was his job to give her something to live for.

* * *

**Wow.**

**It took me 25 chapters to get to the end of series 1? Holy cow.**

**Thank you to everyone who is coming on Rick and Andreas journey with me. I feel like we're a little family of Rickdrea shippers!**

**Lets christen ourselves Rickrea Babies, OK!?**

**Hope you love it, more soon!**

**S x**


	26. Chapter 26

**In Another Life**

* * *

Then, as quickly as it had begun, their moment was over.

"Rick! Oh, my god! Rick, are you OK?"

Lori's voice broke through the barrier created between them and the others and Andrea tore her eyes from him. The others wouldn't notice, but he saw the pain in her eyes, the guilt that her lashes hid. She used his shoulder as leverage as she pushed herself to her feet, fingers trailing ever so gently on the skin of his neck. He stood up and, side by side, they walked over to the others. An invisible, undetectable bond drew them together, but a very real barrier was erected between them.

Loris arms wound around his neck and, out of habit and instinct, his wrapped around her back. Andrea didn't look at either of them, didn't need to, she simply carried on walking. All Rick could do was watch her back as she headed towards the RV. Dale put his hands on her arms and Rick saw him ask if she was OK. She nodded and brushed his hands away and, for a second, caught his eyes.

There was a small, sad smile on her lips and he watched as she heaved a great sigh and then pulled herself into the RV.

This was one hell of a mess he'd gotten them into.

* * *

She questioned her decision again, when Sophia went missing. She wanted, so desperately, to believe that the little girl would be OK and she refused to give up looking. When Rick and Daryl came back and said they hadn't found her, Carol collapsed.

_Thats what I was like. _She thought, as she wrapped an arm around her friends shaking form. This brought it all back and, though she knew it was acutely selfish of her, Andrea felt like she'd lost Penny all over again.

"It's gonna be OK." She told her, as Carol hid her face in Andreas hair, sobbing relentlessly onto her friends shoulder. "I'm gonna find her."

She gently passed Carol over to Lori, who she could barely look in the eyes, and then stood up. Immediately, her hand went to her belt, and she stopped on her way to the barrier. Slowly, she turned around to face the group.

"Where's my gun?" She asked, in a dangerously low voice. She studied the faces of the others, ruling them out one after the other. Rick looked surprised, as did Shane, T-Dog was indifferent and nursing his bloody and torn arm. Daryl was looking towards the woods, he didn't seem to be too bothere. Dale, on the other hand, looked shifty. She raised her eyebrows at him and he sighed.

"I just don't think you need it right now." He said and she scoffed.

"Excuse me? _Dad?_" That hurt, she could tell. "Give me it back."

She walked towards him, hand held out. He shook his head, slowly.

"What do you think I'm gonna do, stick it in my mouth the minute you give it back?"

"I haven't ruled it out." He said and she opened her mouth, ready with a snappy comment, when he carried on speaking. "But you were going to kill yourself in that building. You were ready to stay and I don't know how he did it, but Rick saved your life. He might not be around to do that, the next tme suicide takes your fancy."

That was a mistake. Andrea felt the tension ripple through the group and she herself felt like a cat who'd had her tail pulled. She had to work to keep her temper under control.

"I'm going to look for that little girl." She told him. "I'm gonna do it with or without my gun. So you can either give me it back, and rick me _taking a fancy to suicide _again, or you can be responsible when I come _Walking _back in here, if you catch my drift."

She was serious. Whether he could see it in her eyes or hear it in her voice, she didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that he retreated into the RV and came back out holding the Ladysmith her father had given her. When she took hold of it, Andrea felt like she was reuiniting with an old friend. It unnerved her, how good the gun felt in her hand, but she didn't dwell on it. She slipped it into the back of her jeans and turned away from Dale without another word.

"It's dangerous, going out at night." Shane said, as she passed through the middle of the group. She paused and looked back at him.

"You're welcome to tag along, but no ones forcing you."

"I'll go." Daryl said, picking up his crossbow.

"No." Rick interrupted. "I'll go."

"Rick-" Lori's voice cut in but the look on Ricks face halted her words.

"It's my fault she's out there." He said, his voice dangerous low, his eyes on the floor. "I'm going." He looked up at Andrea and the look in his eyes was like fire. "We'll go."

* * *

Andrea was all too aware of Rick's presence beside her as they walked through the pitch black woods. About three feet into the trees, she'd started to think that perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Not so much because of the threat of imminent death; more the fact that she and Rick hadn't been alone at night since...well, it didn't help their situation if she started thinking about it. He wouldn't be thinking about it, she knew, and she shouldn't be. Not while a little girls life was in danger.

"This would be easier if we could just shout for her." Rick sighed. "She hears us shuffling through the bushes, she's probably just gonna think we're Walkers and take off in the other direction."

"Nothing about this is idea, Rick." She told him and, out of the corner of her eye, saw him cast her a glance.

"You talking about Sophia, or us?"

"I'm talking about the situation in general." She replied, too quickly.

"Andrea, I-"

"_Jesus,_ Rick." She groaned, pausing in her tracks and putting a hand to her forehead. "How many times do you wanna have this conversation? You're married, we get it. This, us, it's wrong. We've both got that hammered into our brains, I think we're good on that front. Now, I'm done talking about it."

"I told you I loved you!" He pointed out, looking at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Didn't change anything." She shrugged, "For better or for worse."

Rick flinched as she quoted wedding vows to him. She did it on purpose, he knew. Wordplay at it's best. She carried on walking and he sighed, heavily, before he followed her. As they walked, he continually and subconsciously found his eyes drawn to her behind. The light from his torch illumminated enough of the path ahead for him to see the outline through her jeans and he had to snap himself out of it everytime it happened. And it happened too many times.

"Rick." She told him, "If you don't stop pointing that light at my ass, I swear to god, I'll ram it down your throat."

"Bit of an overreaction." He mumbled and she stopped. As he joined her, he saw that her eyes were closed and she seemed to be biting the inside of her lip, clearly trying not to lose her temper.

"Can we focus?" She asked, gesturing at the forest.

"Dammit, Andrea." He sighed, "We've been out here for hours. We're not gonna find her and we're also not gonna be any use to anyone if we don't get any rest."

She seemed to think about what he said for a moment, which surprised him. Then she nodded and he smiled slightly.

"Fine." She said, still nodding. "You're right. You go back, I'll keep looking."

"What? No! Thats not what I meant, at all."

"I know, but I'm no use to anyone, anyway, so it makes no difference whether I sleep or not, right?" She said, a sardonic smile on her lips. Her words made him pause and he frowned. She sighed. "I can't do Laundry like Lori and Carol can, I can't cook all that well, I can't hunt like Daryl and everyones been watching me like hawks since the CDC, afraid I'm going to off myself at any moment. It's like I'm some ticking time bomb and they're all just waiting for me to go off. I feel like they might as well be putting bets on."

"Don't be ridiculous." He said, shaking his head. "No one thinks you're useless, Andrea."

"But I am, Rick. I have no purpose and I have no reason to be here! Why do you think I wanted to stay in the first place? I'm nothing but a burden!"

He was shocked to hear the words come out of her mouth, but the determined set to her lips and the look in her eyes told him she meant it when she said she felt that way. She wasn't being melodramtic or seeking his attention; she didn't have a place, she didn't have a job. Therefore, she wasn't helping anyone and was just a drain on their resources. He shook his head, stubbornly, and she laughed outloud. She was _actually _laughing.

"You just don't get it, Rick. You're a leader, I wouldn't expect you toooo-WATCH OUT!" Her hands snapped up, the gun pointed directly at his face and Rick threw himself to the floor as she fired. There was a thud beside him and he rolled over to see a Walker, with a bullet hole square between it's eyes. His heart was still racing and he looked up at Andrea, who was still holding up her gun, staring at the space where the Walker had been not a moment before.

"Yeah," Rick said, pushing himself to his feet and pushing her arms down, a smile of shock plastered over his face. "You're completely useless."

She slowly joined in his laughter as he hugged her and slowly, she felt her laughter turn to tears as she clung to him, knowing she would always have to let go, and knowing everytime she did, it was going to hurt just as much as the first time. Right there and then, she promised herself that would be the last time she cried over Rick Grimes. If she didn't stop then, she never would.


	27. Chapter 27

**I know, I know, I know. It's been forever, right? Blame Sixth Form. Brightside? I've finished all my AS exams! Yay! Of course, I've still got mountains of coursework to do, but lets not focus on the negatives! Anyway, in celebration of my exams having finished; here's chapter 27.**

**In Another Life**

There was a sudden rustling behind them and Andrea tensed in Ricks arms. She felt him go still, too; as if that was going to help. Slowly, she peered around his shoulder and her eyes widened. Behind him, four Walkers stood in a row, paused in their actions as if surveying the scene.

_They're probably wondering why we aren't running. _She thought. _Wait...why aren't we running?_

She slowly extracted herself from Ricks arms and took a few steps backwards. She hit something solid and felt Ricks hand snap around her wrist, pulling her forward as the Walker lunged for her. It's clumsy, uncoordinated body thumped to the floor, where it lay, hands reaching for Andreas ankles. She skipped out of it's way, pointing her gun at its head, but Rick put a hand on the barrell and pushed it to the floor as the other Walkers that had come from behinnd it, and there were about eleven of them, slowly started closing in around them.

"You'll only attract more." He told her, pulling his knife out of his belt. She took his lead and her own knife had replaced the gun in her hand within seconds. Rick lunged first, a sickening cruch assaulting her ears as his knife penetraeted the thick wall that was the Walkers skull. She tried to ignore the feeling when she copied him. She went for the eye, though. It was easier, even if it was more messy.

"Come on!" Rick siad, as soon as they'd gotten rid of the two Walkers in their path. He grabbed her hand and hauled her forwards. It was only when they were out of teh circle of Walkers that they realised just how many Andreas shot had attracted. There had to be at least thirty of them and they were all after Rick and Andrea.

Their feet hit the floor, blindly, and, more than once, she lost her footing. The only thing that kept her upright was Ricks hand in hers. He stumbled, too, but less so than she did. He was a cop and, therefore, used to doing cardio and other forms of excersize. She wasn't. As a lawyer, she didn't exactly spend a lot of time running in patent leather heels. Andrea felt the stitch in her side after they'd run a few yards, but she didn't stop. Her breath was ragged and her chest hurt, but she couldn't stop. She could feel death gaining on them as the walking corpses relentlessly followed, patient and steady. Ricks hand was sweaty in hers, and it was slowly starting to slip away. She knew she wouldn't stand a chance if he let go and she clung on tighter.

"Come on, Andrea, keep going!" Rick encouraged, noticing her distress. He didn't sound at all breathless. He veered off to the right and she followed, unquestioningly. When she saw the little shack, her heart did a slight backflip, then sank.

"Rick!" She panted, trying to talk through the pain of breathing, "A herd that size, they'll crash right through!"

"It's out only hope right now, Andrea!"

She didn't have the strength, or the willpower, to argue with him. She knew they wouldn't stand a chance, but they weren't exactly doing well right now. The Walkers would keep running for hours, if they had too, whereas she and Rick could only have run for a few more minutes before one of them, (most likely her), had collapsed.

They shot through the door and, as Ricks hand slid from hers, Andrea collapsed to her knees, her hands slapping the floor to support her. She felt sick. As Rick turned around and looked at her his brow creased, and she looked up at him, questioningly.

"Rick?"

"That rug." He told her, gesturing to the worn and dirty rug beneath her hands. "It's the only thing in here."

She realised what his point was and sat back on her heels, throwing aside the fabric of the rug. Sure enough, there was a small hatch which probably led down into the basement. Sending a silent prayer up to heaven, Andrea pulled open the door and made to go down the stairs.

"This has been disturbed recently." Rick said, quietly, more to himself than to her, and she glanced back at him, realising that he wasn't following her. There was a tiny hand print in the condensation on the window. Before they could give it enough thought, however, Rick was pushing her down into the dark basement and they clung together as the sound of the Walkers breaking down the wooden, flimsy walls of the hut came from up the stairs.

"What do we do, now?" Andrea asked as Rick flicked on his flashlight.

"We wait it out."

"Andrea? Rick?" A tiny voice came from the corner and both Rick and Andrea quickly turned to see Sophia creeping out from behind a pile of boxes. She was dirty, she was cold and she was scared...but she was alive.

Andrea shot up from the crate on which she'd been sitting, and met a crying Sophia halfway across the room. Sophias arms wrapped tightly around her middle, her eyes squeezing closed, tightly, as she tried not to cry. Andrea was overcome with shock as, she could see, was Rick.

"I thought I was lost for good!" She said, in a voice full of unashamed emotion. Andrea smoothed back the childs hair, soothingly, and kissed her head, telling her everything was going to be OK.

"It's gonna be fine, Sophia." She said, "We'll get you back to your mum as soon as it's day light, OK?"

She met Ricks dark eyes across the room, and saw that her promise sounded as empty as it felt.


	28. Chapter 28

**Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm back :D**

**In Another Life**

Thunder rumbled, angrily, once more and Rick finally gave up on sleep. He was uncomfortable, worried and restless and couldn't think of a worse combination of emotions. He turned over onto his back and then over again and found himself facing the back of Andrea's head. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he could see that Sophia was curled up facing Andrea, having fallen asleep listening to Andreas steady heartbeat. Her face was still red from the tears she'd cried at the sight of them, her eyes puffy, her forehead creased with stress that no child of her age should need to deal with, but which chased her everyday of her young life. Rick had noticed the same look on Carls face. Both children were growing up much faster than they should have to. They were being forced into adulthood by the harsh regime of the new world.

Rick looked from Sophia's anxious face to Andrea's. She looked more peaceful in sleep than she did when she was awake. In daylight, she was always on her guard, ready for anything and everything. In dreams, she could escape it all and Rick caught himself smiling at her content expression. The smile slid from his face as he noticed the way her cheeks looked hallowed out, the way her collar bones stuck out much more than they'd used too. She'd lost a dangerous amount of weight since the beginning of the apocalypse. He was sure they'd all lost weight, but the dim light of the cellar made Andrea look sallow and sickly and Rick's stomach contracted uncomfortably as he realised it.

"Rick?" Her lips barely moved when she spoke his name. He didn't reply, thinking she was talking in her sleep, but then her eyes opened. They were blue, clear and as awake as he'd ever seen them. There was no drowsiness or confution. From their clarity, he doubted she'd even been asleep.

"Hi." He said, softly as she pushed herself to sit up. Sophia's eyelashes fluttered and she stretched, rolling over to face away from them. Andrea's eyes stayed on Sophia and she could feel Ricks eyes on her in the darkness. She pushed herself to her feet without so much as a glance in his direction and reached into the darkness for the candle they'd found earlier. Beside it was the box of matches Rick had in his bag. She took her time lighting the candle, not sure of what there was left to be said between her and Rick that hadn't been said before.

"Wish I had a watch." He mumbled when she finally turned to face him. Bracing her back against the wall, Andrea folded her arms across her chest and nodded, agreeing. It was a surreal experience, being underground, not knowing whether it was day or night. It had been night when they'd decended into the cellar, night when they found Sophia, night when Andrea had insisted that the child slept because she'd had quite the ordeal and would need to recouperate.

"It's probably early hours, at least." She guessed, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"That'd be my guess. The others'll be worried."

"Let them worry." She said, then remembered that while she had no one to go back too, his entire family would be scared sick of what might have happened too him. Rick glanced at her for a brief moment and saw the flicker of resentment in her eyes as the thought passed through her mind. She cursed herself for it and dropped her head, wiping her hands across her face as if that could remove the thoughts, the feelings, which constantly clouded her judgement. Feelings for him.

"You know," Rick said, a small smile appearing on his face, "I never did ask you or Daryl about the case."

She smirked, amused by the random comment, and knew that he was just trying to make general conversation. It worked and the tension in the air dissipated slightly as she began to talk through the case to him. Somehow, he noticed, once the professional jargon began rolling off her tongue, she assumed a different persona all together and they might as well have been back in that office, with the floor-to-ceiling windows, she in her suit and heels, he in his uniform, back when everything was...not simpler, but less dangerous.

"We can do this." He told her, when her words came to a halt and they fell into silence. She raised an eyebrow, questioning him. "We can be friends. Can't we?"

"Rick, I don't think we've got that much of a choice. Do you?" She said, and he noticed that it wasn't quite an agreement.

* * *

Carols gratitude when they walked back to the highway was overwhelming. She rushed to them, meeting Sophia in the middle and collapsing to her knees, clutching the child too her like she was never going to let her go again. Then, still clutching Sophia's hand, she stood up and Andrea found herself the recipient of Carols next tearful embrace.

"Thank you, thank you." She repeated the words over and over, her voice choked and cracked, thick with emotion. Andrea smiled and hugged her friend back, pressing a kiss to her temple. When Carol released her to hug Rick, Andrea slid her hands into her jean pockets and began to make her way to the RV.

"Nice job, Blondie." Shane said, from where he stood atop the RV. Andrea gave him a salute, mockingly, before smiling up at him and then enterring the vehicle where she found Dale sitting in the drivers seat. She paused for a moment as he looked at her, before shaking her head and turning around.

"You're mad," He said, standing up and causing her to halt in her movement. "You're mad, I know. But you have to know that what I did, I did for-"

"For me?" She scoffed, whirling around to face him, her eyes narrowed and angry. "Damn right, I'm mad, Dale! Hell, I'm pissed! You have _no right _to do what you did, none whatsoever and I don't know what made you think you did. I'm not your little girl, I'm not your wife and I'm sure as hell not your problem. That's all there is too it."

She stormed out of the RV and into the road to find all eyes on either her or the road and realised she'd been shouting. She cleared her throat awkwardly and everyone else moved, averting their eyes. She sighed and pulled herself up the ladder to where Shane sat, waiting. He didn't say anything as she stood beside him, still seething with anger but she heard a chuckle rumble through him.

"Something to say, Shane?" She demanded, making sure her voice was low enough that only he could hear.

"Naw." He replied, but the smirk remained on his face. She didn't press it, but sighed, impatiently. "He _is _just tryin' to protect you."

"I don't need his protection." She insisted and Shane's smirk dropped.

"Can't protect yourself. Can't even aim right half the time." He told her. She opened her mouth to spit out a response, but he cut her off. "You want that gun, you're gonna have to learn how to use it properly. Can't have people running 'round with firearms that don't know how to use 'em right. S'dangerous."

"Maybe I won't stick around long enough to learn." She muttered under her breath, her eyes on Rick as he moved through the throng of cars they were out looting.

She'd been thinking about it since the night before. It was clearly too challenging, too _tempting _for them to be in such close quarters with each other all of the time and Andrea had come to the conclusion that the easiest way to remove that temptation from both of their lives was to physically distance themselves and the easiest way to do _that_ was for her to leave.

"I won't be far behind you." She heard Shane sigh and turned to him, ready to question his words, but he had already moved and was climbing down the ladder. She watched him go before turning once more to look out at the highway where the others were gathering any supplies that might be of use. The sun glinted down, scalding and mocking, and Andrea blinked as it gleamed directly into her eyes, obscuring her vision. She saw, though, through the blinding whiteness, as Lori walked over to Rick and wrapped her arms around him.

Perhaps she and Shane were more similar than she'd ever taken the time to realise.


	29. Chapter 29

**In Another Life**

Andrea spent the next day working out whether she could actually leave. She thought about whether she could leave Dale, who had taken her and Amy in and been with them since pretty much the start of this whole mess, and who was the closest to understanding the pain she'd gone through when she lost her sister, having been the one who knew her best, next to Andrea. She wondered if she'd be able to handle herself out there, or if she'd be dead in a week. But mostly, of course, she wondered whether she could leave Rick. It wasn't so much a case of knowing he needed her; he had Lori and Carl, he didn't _need _her, however much he may _want _her. But she needed him. A giant part of her knew that. She'd needed him since the day she met him.

She needed the way he smiled at her and the way he cared about her, even if he coldn't show it most of the time. She saw how much he cared in the way he looked at her . She remembered how angry he'd gotten when he found out Philip had been abusing her. The bruises from her husands violence had faded, but Andrea still woke up in cold sweats, terrified he was going to find her. At the same time, she knew that if she found Philip, there was a chance, however small, that she would find her daughter, too.

She was in the bathroom of the RV, brushing her teeth, when she started practicing what to say to him. "Rick, I'm sorry about everything that's happened but...no, thats stupid. I hate to tell you this..ugh, that's lawyer talk." She brought the toothbrush away from her mouth, bracing her hands on the sink and staring at her own blue eyes in the mirror, "Rick, I'm -"

"Leaving." A flash of movement caught her eye in the mirror as Rick came into view around the door. She didn't turn around, couldn't bring herself to do so, but stared at his reflection, motionless. He didn't speak and she couldn't. Instead, there was a torturous few moments of silence whereby Andrea watched a million emotions cross Ricks face. Then he was gone. Closing her eyes, Andrea slapped her hands down on the sink in annoyance and followed him.

"Rick, wait." She told him, firmly, as he neared the RV's door. As she enterred the RV's living area, she noticed that they were far from alone. Glenn, Shane and Daryl were sitting at the table, obviously discussing the latest tactics they had for protecting the group. They all looked up as she enterred the room, wearing the clothes she'd slept in; a pair of cotton shorts and a white tank top. Rick had stopped near the door and looked back at her, his eyebrows raised.

Awkwardly aware of their audience, Andrea stepped between her feet, and then looked from the floor to his face, trying to convey what she was feeling without words. She sighed, giving up, knowing that if she asked to speak to him in private, she'd only add to the fire that was their curiosity. She shook her head and placed an obviously strained smile on her face. "Nothing." She said and he stared at her a moment before glancing at the group sitting at the table.

"I'm going scouting in about an hour. Who's coming?"

* * *

Andrea opted out of volunteering. Mainly because she didnt want to subject herself to the cold shoulder she was certainly going to recieve from Rick, but also because Shane had gone with him and Andrea suspected he was going to announce his plans to leave. She wasnt sure how Rick would handle that. She was still devastated by how he'd found out about her. At least, she told herself, he knew she was planning on telling him; she wasn't just going to take off like a thief in the night.

She slammed down the boot of the car she'd been looting a little too roughly and Lori, over at the next car, looked at her, concerned. "You OK, hun?" She asked and Andrea glanced up at her and then back at the car; she didn't want Lori to see the guilt in her eyes.

"I'm fine, Lori." She said, a little too harshly. Putting a hand to her forehead, she wiped away the sheen of sweat that had appeared there, picking up and shaking her empty water bottle. Lori, taking pity on her, grabbed her own canteen and walked it over, holding it out to Andrea. The blonde looked from the bottle to the woman offering it too her and, smiling slightly, took it from her. "Thanks," She said, quietly.

"So, how are you doing?" She asked and Andrea paused as she lifted the bottle to her lips. She chose not to answer immediately, instead taking a long drink and then taking the time to screw the lid back onto it, clearing her throat as she did so.

"I'm OK." She said, nodding unconvincingly, "I'm...dealing. Barely. It's hard, obviously, but it's not going to get better so I might as well learn to live with it." She laughed, wryly, as a thought occurred to her, "Chances are, I wont have to live with it for much longer anyway."

Lori obbiously didn't have a response for that; what could she say? She couldn't disagree because their chances of survival were already teetering dangeroulsy close to the edge, threatening to tumble at any moment. They'd barely survived the herd; Sophia very nearly hadn't. As if on cue, as soon as the girl popped into Andreas head, she and Carol came walking over to them. Sophia had a sour look on her face and Carol was looking rather flustered.

"What's wrong?" Lori asked, looking from mother to daughter.

"This young lady isn't satisfied with how shaken my nerves were yesterday. She's upset because I said she couldn't go scavenging with Rick and the boys." Carol said, "I told her, 'it's not a game', but she doesn't seem to have learned her lesson yet-"

"But momma, Carl got to go!" Sophia whined, clearly miffed that someone slightly younger than her had been allowed to go on the trip when she'd been denied the opportunity.

"What?" Lori asked, looking, in shock, at the little girl. "Carl went with them?"

Sophia's lips were pressed together. She looked as if she'd let slip something she definitely shouldn't have and from the look on Lori's face, Andrea knew Carl hadn't been so much as _allowed _to go as he had_ snuck off.  
_"Come on." Andrea handed Lori back the bottle as she turned and began walking in the direction she'd seen the guys head out in, not an hour before.

"Where are you going?" Lori asked her.

Andrea turned, walking backwards for a few paces, as she pulled her gun from her back pocket and examined how many bullets she had left. "_We're_ going to find _your_ son."

"But, wont he have caught up to Rick?" Lori reasoned as she slowly began walking after Andrea, who stopped and let the brunette catch up too her.

"Maybe," She replied, sliding the gun back into the back of her jeans, "But do you really want to take the chance that he didn't?"

* * *

**I know, I know. I suck, right? Worst author ever. **

**Anyway, hope you guys are still interested in this and here's chapter 29. xxx**


	30. Chapter 30

**In Another Life**

"Carl, what the hell were you thinking?" Rick asked, as he clutched the boys arms, knowing that his fingers were digging in a little hard, but too worried and angry to think about doing anything about it. He shook Carl gently, "Do you know what could have happened to you?" He pulled his son into a tight hug and Carl hugged him back, blinking back tears that had appeared in the face of his fathers anger.

"I'm sorry, dad, I just wanted to come along." His excuse came out lamely, "I know mum said no, but I never get to do anything anymore. She's always telling me to stay at the RV and I'm not a kid anymore." Carl broke out of his fathers arms, standing with his chest pushed out and his shoulders back, clearly trying to beef himself up to look more threatening, the better to make his point. "I want to help."

Rick and Shane exchanged looks that bordered between impressed and amused and then Rick let a smile grace his features as he looked at Carl and he nodded, slowly. "OK. But not now. Your mother will be worried sick so we're gonna head back."

Carl's shoulders dropped in defeat and he heaved a great sigh but Shane put a hand on his shoulder, shaking it encouragingly. "Come on, soldier, you can come out next time. Maybe one day, we'll teach you to handle a weapon, eh? How's that sound?"

Carl immediately perked up, a sight that made Rick a little jealous of the relationship his best friend now had with his son, and nodded, "Sounds great, Shane!" Shane and Carl shared a smile, the former taking off his baseball hat and placing it onto Carl's head. It sloped down slightly over Carl's eyes, but he was grinning beneath the shadow it cast over his face.

"Come on, then." Rick said, taking the lead and ignoring the angry feelings of jealousy that rumbled inside of him. It was ridculous, he knew, to be jealous of his best friend, but at the same time, Rick knew he was the one who should be sharing those moments with his son. Instead, he was spending all of his time making sure the people he loved were safe, which meant sometimes he had to put his foot down and do things that Carl, and sometimes Lori, didn't like and those decisions, he knew, were slowly driving a wedge between him and his family. However much they all tried to deny it, even though this world had brought them closer in some ways, in others it was steadily breaking them up even more than their old lives had.

"Whoa." Rick heard Carl whisper and turned around to see him staring through the trees at something. As he slowly stepped back towards them, Shane and Carl began slowly moving forwards and when Rick saw his son inches away from touching the most beautiful doe he'd ever seen, he felt a surge of love for his child and a feeling of pride, pride that he had managed to maintain his childlike innocence and wonder.

The sound was the first thing Rick recognized, then the gut-wrenching feeling of _please, no_, as he watched Carl fall backwards, as if in slow motion, and the dear fell to the floor inches away from him. A moment of haunting silence followed the gunshot and then Rick and Shane were running to Carl. They fell to their knee's either side of him and Rick felt hot tears begin falling down his face.

"No, no, no, no.." He repeated the word over and over again, as if it was going to do any good. Of all the ways he'd pictured this moment, holding his son, saying goodbye, he hadn't pictured him with a bullet wound in his chest. He'd known Carl's days were delicately numbered, as theirs all were, but of all the ways to die in this world, being shot had never, ever, enterred Rick's mind.

He barely registered the noise as a man came crashing towards them from the direction the bullet had come and stopped dead as he took in the sight before him.

"Oh my-" Rick heard a voice and, if he wasn't so hysterical, would have wrestled the man to the ground. Thankfully, he had Shane with him.

"You!" His friends anger was paramount and Shane grabbed the mans collar, forcing him back against a tree, "You see what you did? That little boy's gonna be dead in a few minutes because of _you!_ Do you see what you did?"

"I-I can help," The man gasped, desperately, "I know someone...someone who can save him."

Shanes hands slowly uncurled from the mans shirt and Rick was already hurling Carl up into his arms, tears still compromising his vision. Once he'd straightened up, he turned to the man who was massaging his throat.

"Show me the way." He said, in a dangerously low voice, "Now!"

* * *

"You have no idea where we're going, do you?" Lori's berating voice reached her from where the woman was standing, several yards behind her. Andrea closed her eyes, trying her best to keep her patience.

"Will you stop yelling, please?" She said, as quietly as she could so that she wouldn't attract any unwanted attention, but she would reach Lori. The woman crashed through the bushes between them and came to stand at Andrea's side as she looked around.

"Do you actually know what you're doing?" Lori demanded.

"Well, no, but I know the general direction in which they went." Andrea presented her counter argument, hearing how lame it sounded, and then shushed Lori as she continued to look around, listening intently for any sign of them but knowing at the same time that they'd were probably being so quiet, for fear of attracting Walkers, that any noise she might hear would be a geek.

"Should have brought Daryl." Lori muttered under her breath.

"OK, do you want to do back?" Andrea said, finally losing her patience.

"No I-whoa!" A high-pitched, squeal of a word escaped Lori's lips and she saw her eyes widen as she pointed behind Andrea. Knowing exactly what was behind her, Andrea pulled her knife out of her belt and turned, the blade sinking into the Walker's eye as it made contact. The corpse sank to the floor, really dead this time, and Andrea wiped her knife on her trousers, pulling a disgusted face as she did so. Andrea turned around and gave Lori a withering look; the brunette just swallowed, loudly, and shrugged slightly.

"After you?"

It was then that they heard a repetitive pounding and the rustling of many leaves. Something large was headed their way. Andrea and Lori stood side by side, though Andrea knew Lori probably wouldn't be much help, and she didn't know what good she'd be herself, but whatever was headed towards them definitely didn't sound dead, anyway. It wasn't. It was a women, younger than both Lori and herself, on a horse.

"You Lori?" She said, looking at Andrea, who shook her head and glanced at the woman beside her.

"I'm Lori, who are you?"

"Beth Greene." The girl said, clearly in a hurry. She held her hand out to Lori, "You're gonna wanna get on this horse. Your son's been shot." She turned to Andrea, "Tell your people to come to my family farm; third turn to the right, name's Greene. Y'can't miss it."

Lori stood in shock for a moment before Andrea shoved her slightly and then she was being hauled up onto the horse and they were off, leaving Andrea standing in the middle of the woods. It took her barely a second before she was turning, racing back towards the highway.

* * *

**Figure I'll roll out a few chapters over this week, see if I can pick up some momentum again!:D**


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